A Witch Scorned
by Katoteros21
Summary: Castle and Beckett investigate a series of homicides with supernatural undertones. Set season 4 after Cops and Robbers, My first attempt at writing fanfiction.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 - Tuesday Night**

"_Lovers to be, friends of old._

_I command thee to do as told._

_Deny no more, the truth inside._

_And let these dreams be your guide._

_Join as one, heart and mind._

_So that you may stay far behind._

_Let them set you both astray._

_And keep you close yet far away."_

_She threw the match into the bowl, igniting the photos and the potion in a puff of purple smoke. Smiling to herself at the success of the spell, she rubbed her hands together with glee. 'Perfect. On to the next stage.'_

Walking through the door to the loft, Kate kicked off her shoes and sighed in pleasure. As much as she loved heels, there were some days where they couldn't come off fast enough. After the day she'd had all she wanted was to soak in the tub then curl up in bed. It took her several seconds to realise something was different.

"Castle?" Looking around she saw a beautifully laid out dinner, complete with some romantic candlelight and mood music. "What is all this?"

"I know this case has been hard on you," He handed her a glass of wine, "so I wanted to do something to help you unwind. After dinner I'm going to draw you a bath, so you can relax, before we settle in with a movie - your choice - to complete my evening of relaxation."

"Sounds like you've got everything planned out." Kate took a sip of wine whilst making her way to the table. "This looks amazing."

"Thank you." He pulled out a chair for her before seating himself and grinning. "I slaved in the kitchen for hours, I hope you like it."

Smiling at his exaggeration she took his hand. "You made it for me, Rick, so I love it already." He kissed her hand then dished out pasta carbonara and salad for both of them. The first bite was heaven, causing Kate to moan in bliss and close her eyes. She was about to speak when she saw Castle's slack-jawed reaction, sitting there with his fork halfway to his mouth. Any other situation and she would have laughed at the absurdity of his expression, but not tonight. She leant over, closed his mouth with her finger and kissed his lips. They continued to eat in silence, listening to the soothing tunes playing in the background. Once the meal was complete, Castle left Kate enjoying another glass of wine whilst he cleaned up and put the leftovers in the fridge. Ten minutes later

Castle returned to find Kate sat right where he left her.

"Hey, where'd you go?"

"What do you mean?" Kate looked up, perplexed.

"You were a million miles away." He retook his chair, positioning it closer to Kate.

"Just thinking." She answered vaguely, running her hands through her hair.

"About the case." She nodded, confirming what he already knew. "Did he at least tell you why he did it?"

"Yeah, he said she made him do it." She looked up into Castle's steady gaze. "That simply isn't a reason, especially not when she was his daughter." Concentrating on his face, she saw the horror and confusion he felt at that statement.

"No matter how much I study human behaviour, I will never understand how one person can harm or even kill a loved one." Rising from the dark place the conversation had taken him, he stood up and offered Kate a hand. She smiled at him softly and took his hand, rising from her chair. He led the way to the bedroom, ordering Kate to sit on the bed and wait. Rolling her eyes at him, she did as she was told and he left the room, heading for the bathroom. Sitting there alone, Kate let her mind drift, and wasn't terribly surprised when her thoughts inevitably returned to Castle and how he could make her smile, no matter what was going on. She was roused from her thoughts again when Castle returned announcing that her bath awaited. Taking her hand, he kissed her quickly and led her into the bathroom. She was stunned at the sight that greeted her. Hundreds of candles gave off a warm glow, and her favourite lavender bath soak lent the air a soothing aroma.

"Rick, you shouldn't have. It's gorgeous." Turning to him she threw her arms around his shoulders and kissed him passionately. When she pulled away slightly, they were both out of breath.

"Perhaps I should do it more often if this is the reaction I get." He waggled his eyebrows at her suggestively. Laughing softly, she leant in and kissed him again, softly this time. Smiling slightly Castle pulled away. "You should get in before the water gets cold."

"Stay with me, please." She pleaded, not ready to be alone again.

"Alright, I'll stay. Let me grab the wine and I'll be right back. Get in." He left Kate to get settled whilst he refilled their glasses. Returning to the bathroom he smiled, Kate had fallen asleep in the tub, even though he'd only been gone a minute. She looked so peaceful, so relaxed that he hated to idea of disturbing her. Setting the glasses down, he undressed and gently put a hand on her shoulder.

"Kate, honey, wake up." Kate awoke at Rick's words and saw him kneeling next to her.

"Hey" she smiled lazily, "Join me." Moving forward she made space for Castle to sit behind her and settled against his chest. He kissed her neck and wrapped his arms around her, content to just hold her and enjoy a rare moment of peace they had. They stayed that way for a long time, just revelling in each others company. Unfortunately the water started getting cold so Castle rose and grabbed a large fluffy towel. Helping Kate out of the tub he wrapped her up, before taking another and drying himself off. Looking over he saw Kate hadn't even attempted to dry off, she was watching him with a calculating look.

"I know that look, and you can stop right there. I planned this evening to relax you and I will not be swayed. Now put on that dressing gown and meet me in the living room." He drew on his robe and left the bathroom, muttering to himself about insatiable detectives and one track minds. Kate smiled and dried off, enjoying the softness of the towel, thinking about all the luxuries he's already bestowed upon her. There were definitely perks to dating Richard Castle, but it meant nothing to her compared to the love they shared. It was all that mattered to her, even her mother's case wasn't as important as their relationship. Shaking herself from her musings she pulled on her robe and padded into the living room in search of the man she loved. She found him pulling cushions from the couch, attempting to make a nest on the floor. Standing in the doorway she watched as he tried to wrestle them into some sort of comfortable arrangement. After a few minutes she decided to put him out of his misery and lend a hand.

"You know, the couch was fine the way it was." She said, walking over to join him.

"I know, but I wanted you to be comfortable. The couch isn't really conductive to lying down." He picked up the cushions, unsure of what to do next. Kate grabbed them from him and remade the couch. Then she turned to face Castle.

"Castle, you don't have to try so hard. I'm here and-" A shrill sound interrupted her, making her jump.

"Do you want to get that, Beckett?" Castle asked.

"Get what?" She looked around, trying to locate the noise.

"Your phone. It's ringing." She whipped back round to face Castle, confused, as she couldn't remember what she did with her phone, other than turning in on silent. "You need to wake up and answer it. It's a new case."

Kate awoke with a start, to the sound of her phone ringing. Fumbling on the night stand she found it and answered it with her customary "Beckett."

"We got a body in Midtown." Detective Esposito said by way of a hello.

"Got it, thanks." She hung up abruptly, too mystified by her dream to bother with niceties. A beep alerted her to the fact that Espo had texted the address. She lay in bed a moment more, convincing herself it was just a dream, no matter how vivid and realistic it was. That done, she called Castle.

"Castle." Was his curt response.

"Hey, we got a case. I'll pick you up in 30." She told him.  
"Ok, thanks." He hung up, without saying anything else. 'That was unusual.' She thought to herself. Not wishing to ruminate on it further she got up and headed for the shower.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own the tv show or the characters, which is a shame really.**

**Author's Note: I had the idea for this story floating around for a while in my head and wanted a chance to write it, so I signed up for NaNoWriMo. I actually succeeded on my first try and reached the 50,000 word target. Since then I've edited it and changed a few details. It is largely a case fic, but with a decent amount of Caskett in it too. Rated M for later chapters.**

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**Chapter 2 - Wednesday Morning**

"What have we got?" Kate asked as she approached Lanie.

"Male, Caucasian, mid 20's. I'd estimate time of death at between two and four this morning. No discernible cause of death. I'll know more when I get him back to the lab." Kate nodded, leaving Dr Parish to make preparations to transfer the body back to the morgue.

"Name is Christopher Danielson. Twenty six. Address in Tribeca. I also found this." Esposito handed her a small clear vial with a trace amount of a bright pink powder inside.

"Drugs?" Beckett asked, looking closely at the vial.

"Looks like, but it's nothing I've ever seen." Detective Ryan added, joining them. "According to Mr Vergas a black van pulled up into the alley last night at nine and didn't leave until six this morning. The only reason he remembers it is because of the flashing green and pink lights." Looking up from his notes he saw three confused faces. "Upon investigation he discovered these lights came from the underside of the van and were so bright they kept him up most of the night."

"So the van was here during TOD. I don't suppose he got a licence plate?"

"No, all he got was a black van with green and pink lights." Kate was disappointed at this news. No licence plate meant it would be next to impossible to find it. At least it had one identifying feature.

"Alright, it's a long shot, but put out a bolo on the van, who knows, we might get lucky. Talk to the neighbours, see if anyone else saw the van and find out if there are any surveillance cameras in the area. Castle and I will talk to his family." They boys set off to complete their tasks, hoping to find something or somewhere to start in the investigation.

Beckett and Castle headed to her car in silence. Getting in she turned to Castle and said, "Out with it. You haven't said a word since I picked you up. What's going on?"

"Nothing." He replied quickly, too quickly to be believable. Kate arched an eyebrow at him, silently

telling him to try again. He started squirming, not wanting to reveal the real reason for his silence this morning. Seeing her arched eyebrow, he knew that she wasn't going to let him off the hook, so he decided to tell her something.

"I'm worried about Alexis. Her break-up with Ashley has really affected her. She's withdrawn from everyone and she's become melancholy." Kate absorbed this, and decided to try and help.

"Rick, she's a teenage girl, who just broke up with her first love. They were together about a year right?" Castle nodded, "She invested a lot in the relationship, put her heart and soul into it, I'd guess. So when the relationship ends, no matter if it's good or bad, it always takes time to bounce back. Give her some time, let her come to terms with it, and be there for her when she needs you."

"Are you sure?" He looked up at her pleadingly.

"Yes, I am. Alexis is going through something every teenage girl does. Even I went through it. Just knowing that my parents were there for me made it easier to cope. That I could turn to them and they would make everything ok." She took his hand, offering reassurance the only way she could.

"Give her time. Let her some to you. You'll see."

Castle looked into Kate's eyes and saw only sincerity and affection. He believed her and took her advice to heart. "Thank you Kate. That's actually very helpful. Thank you."

"No problem, now shall we get back to the case." She started the car and headed back to the station.

"Mrs Hartkiss, is there any reason why you brother would be in Midtown last night?"

"No, none at all. He works a few blocks from his home. He has no reason to go uptown. In fact, I don't remember the last time he ventured more than 3 blocks from his apartment." Mrs Hartkiss told Detective Beckett. "We lost our parents a few years back, ever since then he's become withdrawn and solitary. I tried to reach out to him, but you can't help someone who doesn't want it."

"So, he wasn't seeing anyone then?" Beckett pressed.

"Not that I know of. We didn't really talk much, but he never seemed interested in dating. I always thought he'd be married by now. He was such a sweet boy, could have had any girl he wanted."

"He had a promising future ahead of him." Mr Hartkiss jumped in. "He was top of his class at Harvard, working at one of the most prestigious law firms in the city when their parents died."

"Does he still work there?" Castle piped up, for the first time participating in the interview.

"No, they had to let him go about a year ago." Mrs Hartkiss said. "Since then he's been working two jobs just to be able to stay in his apartment. It's the one thing he refuses to let go of. I don't know why."

"OK, I think we have all we need for now, thanks for coming in today." They rose, concluding the interview.

Mrs Hartkiss turned to Detective Beckett and said, "I hope you catch the guy that did this. Chris didn't deserve to die."

"We will do our best." Kate told them, not promising anything at this stage in the case.

Walking out they found Ryan and Esposito at their desks, hard at work.

"Anything?" Kate asked, walking over to the murder board.

"Nothing on the van yet, but that's no surprise." Ryan said, joining them at the board. "I did find a security camera just up the street, just waiting for the footage to come in so I can go through it."

Getting off the phone, Esposito came over, "Talked all the people in the building. Mrs Santiago remembers seeing the van in the alley, but couldn't see the licence plate. She did happen to see a woman near the van, but her description leaves a lot to be desired. 'A woman with long, dark hair.'"

"Great." Kate's phone rang. "Beckett. Ok, we'll be right down." She put the phone down and turned to the boys. "Lanie's got something. Ryan, get on the surveillance footage. Espo, check with CSU, see what they've come up with."

"As you wish." Esposito and Ryan went off on their assignments, leaving Beckett and Castle to make their way to the morgue.

"Hey Lanie, what have you got?" Beckett asked, as she walked into the morgue.

"Not much, I'm afraid. There are no abrasions or wounds to indicate a cause of death, so at the moment I can't say what killed him. I did find a pink substance in his system. Possibly a drug of some type, so I sent it to tox."

"Sounds like the powder we found on him. Do you know what it is yet?"

"No, I've never seen anything like it. Must be some new designer drug. When I get the results through I'll know more, but right now COD is unknown."

"Ok, thanks Lanie." They walked back out of the morgue. "Castle, are you still thinking about Alexis?"

"Huh?" was all she got out of him. She stopped him in the empty corridor and turned to face him.

"Castle, you want to tell me what's really going on." That got a response from him.

"It's nothing. I'm fine." He looked at Beckett, and rushed to explain. "Really, Beckett. Everything's fine, I'm just having one of those days. I feel out of sorts today. It'll blow over soon enough and I'll be back to my usual self."

She stood there and really looked at him, and noticed that something was radically different with him. Putting aside the lack of attention and outlandish theories today, he did seem to be contemplating something big. He usually only got this way when he failed to solve a problem and wanted to figure out why. This wasn't about Alexis, he was thinking about something else, and didn't want any help to find the answer. "Ok, if you're sure." When he nodded, she continued on her way back to the precinct.

When they got back, Ryan was immersed in the video surveillance, so they didn't want to disturb him. Walking up to the murder board Beckett added their latest finding to the board.

"I got something." Espo said, walking up to join them. "That pink substance we found on the vic? Turns out it's just some sugars and food colouring-."

"Sugar?"

"Yes, but there was a little something extra added. A small amount of an as yet unidentified substance. They've sent it for further analysis and a chemical breakdown. According to the clerk I spoke to, we should have the results in a few days." He finished, apologetically.

"Ok," Beckett added 'unknown substance' the board. "Anything else from CSU?"

"They found a set of tyre treads and identified them as Michelin M/S, a common tyre used on SUV's and light trucks." Kate wrote that under the vague description they had of the van so far. "That's about it right now." Kate returned to looking at the board, hoping something would pop out at her, some small piece that would make the rest fall into place. Not finding it she sighed and turned back to Esposito and Castle. She noticed that Castle was focused on the board with a frightening intensity.

"What is it, Castle?"

"I don't know yet. There's something familiar here, but I can't remember what it is." He looked away from the murder board to find two sets of eyes focused on him. "I must have read or seen something somewhere."

"Surveillance was a bust," Ryan told them, surfacing from his review of the tapes. "There's no sign of any black vans at all. It must have entered and exited from the opposite end."

"Any sign of our vic?" Kate asked, hopeful for some good news.

"No, he either walked in from the other end or-"

"He was in the van." Kate finished for him. Kevin nodded, indicating he agreed with her assessment.

"Alright, look into our vic's financials and phone records. He had to get hold of this 'drug' some way, maybe there's a trail. Castle and I will visit his work places." They nodded and headed off the secure the paperwork.

"Is this case really familiar to you?" Kate asked as they were driving through the city towards Tribeca.

"I can't explain it, but I have this niggling feeling in the back of my mind that I've seen this type of thing before." He shook himself out of his musings and returned to the present. "I must have come across it in my research of one of my books."

"Let it go." He looked sharply at her. Seeing his reaction, she elaborated. "The more you think about it, the harder it is to remember. Forget about it for now, and maybe it'll come to you."

He continued to look at her, a slightly contemplative look on his face. "That's the second piece of sage advice you've given me today. Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be fine?" She was flustered by the concern she saw in his eyes, it reminded her too much of her dream. A dream she wasn't ready to face quite yet.

He knew she was lying, not just to him, but also to herself. He couldn't explain it, but he just knew that today she wasn't quite as put together as she wanted everyone to believe. He didn't call her on it though, knowing it would have to opposite effect on her as it had on him. She would snap and retreat, maybe even resent his interference. They had made some real strides in their relationship lately, especially since the bank incident, and he didn't want to undo that. They spent the rest of the trip in silence, both too immersed in their own thoughts to bother with small talk.

"This is the place." They headed towards to tiny book store located between a dry cleaners and an Indian restaurant. "Quite a step down from a prestigious law firm."

Upon entering they were met by a middle aged man. "Good afternoon, my dears, what can I do for you today?" He offered them a kind smile to go with the well-versed words.

"I'm Detective Kate Beckett and this is Mr Castle, we're with the New York Police Department. We understand that a Christopher Danielson is employed here?" Beckett asked softly.

"Chris? Yes, he's been with me for about a year now. What's this about?" Mr Rogers inquired.

Kate jumped right in, not wanting to delay the inevitable. "We have some bad news, Mr Rogers, Chris was found dead this morning in Midtown."

"Dead? How?" He was shocked to hear that.

"We're not sure yet. We were hoping you could help us with something." Kate continued, gently.

"Of course, Detective. I'll help in any way I can." Mr Rogers replied, coming to terms with the fact that Chris was gone. "Please, come through to the back." They followed Mr Rogers into a small office, filled with paperbacks, both old and new. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

"No thanks, Mr Rogers, we're fine. We just have a couple of questions." They sat down gingerly, trying to avoid toppling any one of the precariously balanced stacks. "How well did you know Mr Danielson?"

"Call me Darren. He was a quiet, conscientious kid, always punctual, did his job well, never caused me any trouble."

Kate smiled at him, "What about his personal life - friends, girlfriends?"

"He never really talked about himself. I know about his parents and how he lost them. He didn't seem real interested in girls though. Never spoke about anyone special in his life."

"Did you noticed anything different about him in the last few weeks?" Castle spoke up, for the first time taking an interest in the case. Mr Rogers took a moment to think about it. Kate could see the moment a light bulb went off. She leant forward eagerly.

"What is it?"

"I didn't realise until you asked, but he seemed different over the last five weeks. It was nothing drastic, just a slight change in demeanour. So slight that I never would have noticed if you hadn't asked so specific a question. Looking back I'd say he had a purpose again, a reason to change, instead of just going through life one day at a time."

"Do you think this change could be a result of drugs?"

He looked up shocked and appalled. "Absolutely not. If I only knew one thing about him, it was that he never took drugs. It was the only thing he was vehement about. He knew what happened with drugs and wanted no part of it. There's no way he was mixed up with that."

"I had to ask, Darren. We found a vial on him, containing a pink powder, do you have any idea where that came from?" She pressed on.

"Pink powder? No, I have no idea."

"Ok, thank you Darren, you've been very helpful. If you remember anything else, please give me a call." She said, handing him a card.

"I will, Detective. I hope you find the truth." With those parting words, Castle and Beckett took their leave, another piece of the puzzle firmly in hand.

They decided to walk to the second location as it was only a few blocks, and take advantage of one of the last warm days of the year. They fell into a comfortable silence, both caught up in their own thoughts.

"You know, I've been thinking," Castle paused, 'probably for dramatic effect' Kate thought to herself. She waited patiently for him to continue, but he didn't. He stared off into space, completely loosing his train of thought, in favour of something else.

"Castle!" He jumped, brought back to reality by Kate's sharp shout. He looked at her. Seeing she had his attention again she continued. "What were you thinking about?"

"Oh, I was just thinking about Alexis." He stated.

"Castle, there is nothing you can do for her right now. I know you want to help, but it will only make things worse. She needs time to come to terms with it herself, understand what happened, and learn from it." She tried to be gentle with him, make it sink in that if he interfered now, it could backfire.

"I know that, Beckett. I was going to say that your advice gave me an idea. I don't want to give anything away right now, but I hope that it will help her." He explained.

"Sorry." She started walking again. Jumping down Castle's throat wasn't going to help.

They made their way to the bodega where the victim worked a late shift. Walking in they found a bored looking youth at the counter, doing a bad job of tending the store. Approaching the boy, Kate immediately took a dislike to him. She showed him her badge. "Detective Kate Beckett, is the manager here today?" She didn't want to waste time with this kid. He sullenly pointed them in the direction of the back, where an office was situated. They found a young man seated at the tiny desk, doing the books.

"This area's off limits." He said, without looking up.

"Even to the NYPD." Kate told him. He stopped what he was doing rather quickly and looked up.

"I'm Detective Beckett and this is Richard Castle."

"Sorry Detective, I get a lot of nosy kids looking around. Gotta do what I can to deter them. What can I do for you today?"

"I understand that Chris Danielson is employed here?" Beckett got straight to the point.

"Yes, Chris is my best guy. Always on time, never causes me any trouble. What's this about?"

"He was found dead this morning in Midtown, Mr Tavali."

"Dead?" He exclaimed. "In Midtown? That can't be right. He never went up to Midtown, this is as far as he ever got from his apartment. It can't be him."

"I can assure you it's him." Beckett replied. "You say he never went to Midtown, can you tell me why?"

"He hated it up there. Reminded him too much of his parents and his old life. Other than here and his other job at the book store, he never left his apartment. Anything he wanted or needed he went online for."

"So you can't think of any reason he would have been uptown last night?"

"No, none." He shook his head, obviously confused by the news.

"We found a small vial with a pink powder in it on his body, do you know what it was, or where he got it?" Castle asked.

"I have no idea. I know for a fact he didn't do drugs. He was vehement in his hatred of them. It's the only thing he was genuinely passionate about."

"Ok, one last question, Mr Tavali, have you noticed any changes in Chris lately?" Kate asked.

"He had been opening up a little. Becoming more social and interested in things. I'd say something happened to him to wake him up. I don't know what it was, but I do remember it was six weeks ago."

"Thank you Mr Tavali. If you can think of anything else," She handed him her card, "please give me a call." They left the office and found the youth waiting for them outside the door.

"Chris was a stand-up guy. Although he was quiet and withdrawn, he took no crap from anyone. He was very protective of this place. We didn't talk much, he came in as I was leaving, but he always looked out for me."

"In what way?" Kate asked, clearly confused by the sudden change of attitude.

"He offered to help me out with some stuff. Got me into night school. I was heading for jail before he stepped in and got me back on track. I can't believe he's dead." He was very distressed at the news. Kate gave him her card and told him to call her if he ever wanted to talk.

She and Castle left the bodega and headed back to the car. Getting in she noticed Castle was staring at her.

"You know that's creepy, right?"

He ignored that question and asked one of his own. "I saw how you reacted when we first arrived. You disliked him on sight. What changed?"

"First appearances aren't everything. Just because he acted like a brat when we arrived, doesn't mean that's how he actually is. As you heard he was genuinely upset to hear that his mentor, for lack of a better word, has died. It looks like he's trying to turn his life around, and, if I have to listen to him or offer moral support, then that's what I'll do. Any way I can keep another kid out of the system is one less crime to solve." She started the car, intent on ignoring him and his ability to see right through her, all the way back to the precinct.

Upon their return they found Ryan and Esposito up to their elbows in financial records and cell phone bills. Kate headed straight to the murder board and added the new information under the vic's name. She took a step back and looked at everything they had learned up until now, which was not much. Sighing, she turned away and went in search of the boys. "Hey guys, how about we call it a night. We can continue in the morning." In unison they both looked up at the clock to see it was 6pm. They packed up the papers quickly, careful to keep everything in order so they could pick it up again in the morning.

"See you at the Old Haunt then." Espo said.

"Yeah, we're definitely still going, right?" Ryan asked, confirming their plans for the evening.

"Of course," Kate smiled, "Wouldn't miss it for the world." Getting into the elevator, they agreed to meet there at 7, set to celebrate the upcoming wedding in style.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 ****–**** Wednesday Night**

Kate was frustrated. That was the only word for it. She couldn't find anything suitable to wear, and it was annoying the hell out of her. When she started worrying about what she wore, she didn't know, but she was. She suspected it was because of the dream. It had made her more aware of Castle, and of herself.

"I need help, Lanie." She begged down the phone. "I don't know what to wear."

Lanie, perceptive as always, knew exactly what was going on in Kate's head. "Ok sweetie, stop talking and take a breath. "She heard Kate's exhale over the open line. "Right, now close your eyes, and clear your mind." Lanie gave her a minute, knowing Kate was rolling her eyes before complying.

"Tell me a colour."

"Purple."

"Good, now tell me an article of clothing."

"Dress."

"Shoes."

"Three inch strappy heels."

"Ok, open your eyes." She paused. "Walk to your closet and find a purple dress and three inch heels." Kate did as she was told and found that exact dress hiding between her prom dress and an ugly impulse buy.

"Wow, I forgot I had this. It's perfect. Thanks Lanie, you're a lifesaver."

"Alright, get dressed, you don't have long. I'll see you in a bit." They hung up, leaving Kate feeling more relaxed and ready to face the evening.

15 minutes later and she was out the door, on her way to meet everyone.

Arriving at the Old Haunt, Kate looked towards their usual table and found Espo, Ryan and Jenny already there. Waving to them, she walked up to the bar and ordered a drink. She took in the bar, noting all the eccentricities and Castle-isms that were haphazardly dotted around the main area. Charlie brought her back to reality with her drink. Taking it she started to make her way to the others when a flash of deep red near the office caught her eye. Putting her drink back on the bar, she turned towards it and headed for the office. Walking down the stairs she found him sitting at the desk, looking at the latest figures.

"You do know that you're not supposed to be working, right? Tonight is about Ryan and Jenny." He looked up, surprised to find Kate at the bottom of the stairs.

"Kate! Sorry, I didn't see you there. I'll only be a minute, I just wanted to check the last weeks takings." He picked up a pile of papers and shuffled them together.

"No, put them away," She walked slowly towards him, stepping into the light from the lamp behind the desk. He glanced back up, then did a double take. She was wearing a skin tight purple dress which came down to mid thigh with a demure neckline. Paired with that was a pair of extremely high heels, with straps reaching halfway up her calves. Altogether she looked exquisite and it took Castle's breath away. He knew he was staring, but he couldn't bring himself to stop, or even care. Kate blushed under his attention, secretly pleased at his reaction. She let him take his fill then arched an eyebrow, cocked a hip and folded her arms. A typical Beckett response to him.

"Like what you see?" She blurted out, then blushed, mortified. That wasn't what she wanted to say. Castle's gaze jumped back to Kate's face. He watched her internal struggle, but refrained from saying anything, knowing she wouldn't appreciate it. "We should go, everyone's waiting." Regaining her composure she turned and walked back up the stairs, not waiting for his response. Emerging from the trap door, they went their separate ways - Kate to the group, Castle to the bar.

Sliding in next to Espo she greeted everyone, Lanie had arrived since her foray into the basement. She was still a little rattled by her slip of the tongue, but did her best to try and hide it. She had just about got it under control when Castle slid in beside her with a round of drinks for everyone as well as her forgotten glass.

After handing them out he proposed a toast. "To Ryan and Jenny. Marriage is not something to be taken lightly, believe me, I know." That got a few chuckles from the group. "You are the happiest couple I have ever met and I wish you a long and joyful life together, filled with love and laughter, and even a few kids somewhere in the future." To a chorus of 'hear, hear's' they clinked glasses and took a drink.

"Thank you Rick, that was beautiful." Jenny told him, touched by the sincerity and affection she heard from everyone tonight. They spent a fair amount of time just laughing and joking, enjoying a rare work-free night out. Kate and Castle were both acutely aware of each other. Of each brush of an arm or press of a leg, although neither showed any outward sign of how affected they were. More drinks were ordered, inhibitions lowered and then talk turned to the wedding. Jenny was explaining the choice of menu to them when Castle felt Kate lean her head on his shoulder. He froze, unsure of what was happening. Kate felt his reaction to her move and smiled internally. She settled herself more comfortably, and tuned back into the conversation. Ryan was proudly gazing at his fiancé, hanging on her every word, so he was the only one who didn't notice the position Kate and Castle were in. Castle had a deer in headlights look, whilst Kate had a small smile on her face, apparently unaware of the fact that they were looking pretty cosy together. From her position, Kate see Ryan, Jenny and Lanie very clearly, but as Espo was sat next to her she couldn't see his reaction. Keeping her unaffected look she carefully watched their faces, gauging their reactions. Jenny looked pleased and happy, Ryan was too busy watching Jenny to notice her and Lanie had a shocked expression.

Castle still hadn't moved though, so Kate, under the watchful eyes of the group, turned her head and whispered in Castle's ear. "Relax, Rick, take a breath, sit back and enjoy the evening." Advice given, she resumed her original position on his shoulder. It took a few minutes, but she felt him take a deep breath and start to loosen up. Pleased with the result she rejoined to conversation, only to be greeted by complete silence. Not just at the table, but around the whole bar. A moment later she felt Castle stiffen beside her as he realised it was deathly quiet. Squeezing her knee under the table to let her know he'd handle it he stood up and spoke to everyone.

"Drink up my friends, it's a night to celebrate. My friends Kevin and Jenny here are getting married in a month. This is one of the last nights before the big day where we can hang out as a group and enjoy a quiet evening. While I appreciate the attention, tonight is about them, not me. So please, enjoy your evening, drink responsibly and make sure you get home safe." Having said his piece, he sat back down, and Kate immediately settled against him again. Realising the subtext in his speech, the patrons slowly returned to their drinks and resumed conversing with one another. Kate patted his thigh to show her thanks, glad that she was no longer the centre of attention. Taking a sip of his drink, Castle sparked up a conversation with Lanie, something about formaldehyde and nitrous oxide. A strange topic, but it worked, drawing Lanie in like a moth to a flame. Jenny and Ryan were talking in hushed tones, heads together, looking every inch the happy couple and Espo was ultimately drawn into the conversation going on between Castle and Lanie. It gave Kate a chance to breathe and regroup. Turning inward she started analysing herself, scrutinising her behaviour over the last few months. Ever since the siege at the bank, she had started to think about Castle in a more affectionate way. When that C4 had gone off, she nearly shut down, she believed that the blast had killed him and everyone inside. Hearing his voice from the back of the bank had been a godsend. It had nearly driven her to her knees, the only thing that kept her on her feet had been her concern to see for herself that he was physically fine. Looking into his eyes, seeing the love reflected in them, caused the world to fade away. There was only Castle and her, at least until Martha spoke up, shattering their moment. She knew she loved him, she had for years now, but knowing his reputation with women, had never allowed herself to feel it. Spending the last 4 years together, working side by side, she saw him for the man he truly was. A loving father, a close friend and a fierce protector of those he considered family.

"Kate? Kate." A voice broke through her thoughts, compelling her to return to the world. She looked up, straight into Castle's eyes. Realising it wasn't him who spoke, she suddenly recognised the voice as Ryan's.

"Sorry Kevin, I was a million miles away. Did you want something?" She asked the owner of the voice.

"Yeah, I just wanted to ask if there was any particular type of music you like. Y'know, for the wedding. We wanted to ask our friends to make a suggestion to add the play list. That way there's something for everyone." He waited patiently whilst Kate worked through her confusion to understand what he was asking.

"I pretty much listen to anything, but for a wedding I'd say some romance wouldn't go amiss, along with some party songs, to get the guests on their feet. Something they know the moves to, like YMCA or the Macarena." Ryan's eyes lit up, he clearly liked the idea. Looking at Jenny, Kate could see that she agreed with her as well.

"That's a brilliant idea, why didn't we think of that, babe?" Jenny asked her husband-to-be.

"It's perfect, the moves are simple and everyone knows the songs." Ryan replied, clearly excited by the choices made here tonight. He checked his watch. "It's getting late, we should think about heading home, honey."

"Ok," Jenny stood, putting on her coat that Ryan held out for her. "Thanks, guys, for a wonderful evening and for the great ideas. I can't wait to see you all at the wedding. It's going to be fantastic to have you all there." Standing up they all offered hugs to the couple, arranging to get together again after the wedding. After calling them a cab, Castle returned to the table to find Lanie and Espo deep in conversation and Kate nowhere to be found. Sitting down again he stared into his drink, caught up in the events of the evening. Not much had happened by anyone's standards, but with him and Kate, they had jumped a major hurdle. She had leaned on him, sought comfort from him and even chastised him for not enjoying it. Change was brewing and he wanted to handle it carefully, lest he cause her to bolt. He was roused from his thoughts by Lanie and Espo getting up, ready to call it a night. Kate waved goodbye to them as she returned from the toilets. Seeing it was just the two of them left, they sat across from one another, ordered another drink and spent the next hour arguing good naturedly about trivial things. They were disturbed by Charlie, telling them he was finishing for the night and that he'd be leaving in five minutes. Glancing at the clock, they saw that it was very late. Saying good night to Charlie they made their way out onto the street, where a town car was already waiting. The driver approached them, telling Castle he was there to ensure he and Miss Beckett got home safely.

"Thank you Roger." Castle said, helping Kate into the back before settling himself next to her. Without a word, Kate rested her head on Rick's shoulder and clasped his hand in hers.

They rode in silence all the way to her apartment, both feeling an inner peace that wasn't there before. Stopping at the curb, Kate turned to Castle. "Thank you for being there for me Castle. Thank you for being my best friend." She then leant in and kissed his cheek. Too stunned to say anything he watched as she disappeared into her building without looking back.

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**What do you think? Please read and review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Just a small one to post today, whilst I sort out the next chapters. A bit of smut near the end, so don't say I didn't warn you!**

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**Chapter 4 ****–**** Early Thursday Morning**

Castle was awoken by a pinging sound. It took him a minute to recognise it as his phone telling him he had a message. Reading it just confused him, 'get up, go to your front door and open it.' It was from Kate. Rousing his sleep-addled brain, he got up, drew on a robe and headed into the living room. Once there he took a moment to fully wake up. Looking at the text again, he saw that nothing had changed, it still said to open the door. Doing so he saw Kate stood there, phone in hand, patiently waiting.

"Are you going to invite me in?" She asked quietly. He nodded mutely, stepping back to let her walk through the door. He noticed that she was wearing a floor length coat he'd never seen before. It was a very deep blue with a fur trimmed neck line. It was very sexy and extremely flattering. "Stop staring Castle, it's just a coat." Snapping out of his thoughts he was treated to the sight of Kate Becket slowly undoing the beautiful coat before shrugging it off and handing it to him to hang in the closet. After hanging it next to his, he turned around to see her folding herself onto his couch. She tucked her feet underneath her body, making herself comfortable. Aware he was staring, Castle shook himself out of it mentally and remembered how to be a good host.

"Can I get you anything to drink?" He offered, heading towards the kitchen.

"Coffee's fine." Grabbing the French roast, he added some to the coffee maker and turned it on. Leaving it to percolate, he turned around to study the woman currently making herself at home on his couch. She looked the same as always, dressed in dark jeans and a soft sweater with her hair pulled up into a ponytail, but there was something there that wasn't there before. It wasn't visual or physical, it was emotional or spiritual. Something had caused a change in his favourite detective, and he wanted to know what. Not for his books, he would never include anything so intensely personal about her in his writings. He just wanted to know more about the woman he loves. The heady scent of freshly brewed coffee reached his nose, reminding him of his reasons for being so far away. Retrieving two mugs from the cupboard he fixed them both their drinks and slowly walked back to Kate and the couch. Handing one to Kate, Castle sat down next to her, keeping a small distance between them. She cradled the mug to her chest, absorbing the warmth. He could tell she was working herself up to say something, so he stayed silent, sipping his coffee slowly. He saw the moment she made a decision, he whole demeanour changed. Instead of saying anything she continued to drink her coffee, waiting a whole five minutes until she had finished it before speaking.

Setting her mug on the table she turned to him and spoke.

"Take me to bed." Castle was shocked. Not once had he expected her to say that. She stood up and held out her hand. "Take me to bed, Castle." Convincing himself he had heard her right he took her hand and let her lead him to his bedroom. Convincing himself it wasn't a dream was another matter, especially when she grabbed the hem of her sweater and pulled it over her head. Dropping it to the floor, she sashayed seductively towards him. She ran her hands up his chest to his shoulders and pushed his robe off, leaving it to pool at his feet. She clutched a fist full of his t-shirt and pulled him with her towards the bed. When her knees hit the bottom of the bed, she stopped and took hold of his hands. Kissing each one lightly she placed them on the button of her jeans and, leaning into him, whispered in his ear, "I can do this with or without you, Castle, but together will be so much more fun." She nipped his ear on her way back. Finally getting with the program, he kissed her soundly. With one hand in her hair and the other spanning her waist he pulled her close. Trailing kisses down her throat to her chest he kissed her scar, paying it special attention, acknowledging just how close he came to losing her. Only then did he pop the button on her jeans. Lowering her to the bed, he helped her out of them, leaving her in her matching bra and panties. She moved up to the centre of the bed, beckoning him to join her. He didn't need to be asked twice. He crawled up over her, slowly lowering himself to kiss her gently, lovingly. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down on top of her, deepening the kiss. She started undulating against him, arousing him to the point of pain.

"If you want this to last you have to stop doing that." He whispered against her lips. She smiled in response, slowing her movements, taking pity on him. He worked a hand underneath her and unfastened her bra, dragging it from her shoulders and he tossed it behind him, not caring where it landed. His hands were immediately drawn to cup her breasts. Leaning down he took the left one into his mouth, causing her to arch up sharply, then did the same to the other. Making his way down her body, he helped her take off the last piece of clothing she wore. Settling in he kissed her inner thigh, before diving in to feast. He took his time, learning her body, discovering her tells, working her to the brink, before slowing down, never allowing her to tip over the edge.

"Castle, no more teasing," she panted, "Please, I need you in me." He chuckled, and shed his clothing quickly. Checking to see that she was ready he lined himself up and-

Castle bolted upright to the shrill sound of his alarm going off. Slapping the offending item into silence, he collapsed back into bed, panting harshly, extremely turned on by his very erotic dream. After a few minutes, he had calmed down enough to realise that he didn't set his alarm last night, so it shouldn't have gone off at all. Confused, he picked his phone up to see that the alarm icon was active. He never set his alarm for any reason, he didn't need to. The life of a writer meant he worked his own hours, and with crime-solving he got a call when a body dropped, which, granted, could happen at any hour, but they never required an alarm. Too tired after a late night to puzzle it out, he forced his body to move, shuffling towards the shower. Switching it to cold, he shivered, cooling the last of his ardour. Feeling more awake and 'normal' he turned up the heat and finished showering.

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**Please R&R!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 ****–**** Thursday Morning**

Walking into the Precinct, Castle saw Espo and Ryan poring over the financials and paperwork again, looking for the smallest clue that would lead them in the right direction. Despite the late night Kate looked surprisingly chipper and upbeat. Spending those last few hours together last night had helped solidify their friendship. They found that they could relate to one another easier and could turn almost any subject into a lively and fun debate. Whilst there were things that would undoubtedly cause arguments between them, nothing could separate them for long. They had grown too close, become such good friends that they would forgive each other almost anything. It was a solid foundation for the future.

Walking up to the murder board, Castle offered Beckett her customary coffee, which she took with a smile. "Thanks, and not just for last night." She maintained eye contact with him for longer that she usually would, silently telegraphing to him what she meant. His first thought was the dream, which was stupid, because it was his dream, not hers. Reeling in his libido, he realised that she meant last night at the bar and the strides they had taken in their friendship. Smiling back, he inclined his head slightly, acknowledging her thanks and adding his own. Ducking her head and taking a sip of coffee, Beckett turned back to the board. "I was thinking. You remember what Mr Tavali said? That whatever Chris wanted he went online for? We should go to his apartment and see if we can find a computer. If he relied heavily on it, there should be a trail to follow. Something that will tell us what he's been up to these last few weeks."

"If he had got that-" He pointed to the photo of the pink substance, "Online, there will be a record of it." They started getting a little excited, stepping closer.

"And where he got it from, meaning-"

"That the person who sold it to him could very well be our murderer." As one they turned and strode towards the elevator.

"Guys, we're heading to the vic's apartment if you need us." Beckett called to the boys before stepping onto the elevator. She saw their response, rather than heard it, as they were all the way across the bullpen, in a side room.

They hurried out to the car, eager to find something, somewhere to look. The evidence so far was minimal, they didn't even had a definitive cause of death. Getting there took very little time, traffic seemed to be good for them, aiding them in their rush to get to Tribeca. The building supervisor was a lovely middle-aged lady, eager to help in any way she could. After promising to talk to her after their search, Castle and Beckett began methodically checking each room for anything that might help. They found a laptop in the bedroom. It was the only expensive item in the entire apartment, everything else was minimalist. His sister was right when she said he fought to keep his apartment. Opening the laptop they found nothing unusual at first glance in the browser history. Deciding to leave it for the techs, they continued looking in the other rooms. They found nothing out of the ordinary, but something was off. She couldn't put her finger on it, but Beckett trusted her instincts. She took a walk through the apartment, eyes roving restlessly, looking for that elusive strap of evidence, the reason why things felt different to her.

"Castle, what's missing from this apartment?"

Emerging from the kitchen, he joined her in the middle of the living room. Knowing her well enough to realise she didn't mean the furniture, he took a deeper look around. He noticed that whilst at first glance the place appeared lived in, it was lacking the necessities to actually live there. Food consisted of a few tins of soup. The garbage was empty and looked to have been that way for weeks. There were a few magazines on the table, but they were months old. The bed was made, but unslept in.

"He wasn't living here, not in the conventional sense. All the items needed aren't here. The kitchen is empty, the bed hasn't been slept in for weeks, there's no tv, no books, nothing to relax and unwind to. The only thing being used is the laptop."

"Exactly, so why did he fight so hard to keep this apartment, when he's never here."

"And where was he sleeping and eating." Castle concluded.

"We should talk to the landlady, see if she knows what he's been up to." They left the apartment with the laptop in tow and went in search of the manager. They found her in the lobby, helping one of the tenants with her children. She spotted them waiting for her and waved them towards the office. They didn't have to wait long for Ms Fairweather to return.

"Thanks for waiting Detective, I wanted the chance to talk to you about young Christopher." She settled herself into the desk chair before continuing. "Such a lovely boy, a shame when his parents died. He retreated into himself, you know. He was a fantastic lawyer, conscientious neighbour and good friend to most of the tenants here. Always helping out whenever he could. Since they died, he rarely spoke to anyone, only leaving his apartment to work."

"We noticed that he hasn't been actively living here these past few weeks, do you have any idea where he was staying, or what he's been up to?" Beckett asked.

"No, I knew he'd been staying out all night recently, I'd see him leave for work in the evenings, and he wouldn't return until the early hours of the morning. I don't sleep much past 4 any more."

"Did you ever see him with anyone?" Castle piped up.

"No, he was always alone." She stopped to think, "But I did see the same person a few times,

following him back here."

"Did you see what she looked like?" Beckett waited impatiently.

"I didn't get a good look, but she was about his height, long dark brown hair, and she was wearing a floor length deep blue coat with a fur trimmed neck line." Beckett heard Castle's sharp intake of breath, and turned to look at him, questioningly. Shaking his head, he indicated that this wasn't the place. She turned back to Ms Fairweather and thanked her for her time, asking her to call her if she saw the woman again.

They now had a second appearance of the same woman, so she had to be involved somehow, When they get back, Kate would have to get her description out on the streets, try to ID her. Firstly though, she wanted to know what Castle knew about her. She rounded on him. "What do you know about her?"

"Who?" He was genuinely confused by her question.

"The woman, you reacted like you knew her." He was about to answer when her phone rang.

"Beckett." She listened for a minute. "Ok, got it. We'll be there in twenty minutes." She hung up. "We got a body."

It took them closer to thirty to get to the Park with the traffic. They found the rest of the gang near Strawberry Fields with the vic. Lanie told her the specifics before Kate even asked.

"Female, mid 20's, Caucasian, TOD between three and six this morning, COD is unknown at the moment." Standing up she gave Kate a look, indicating she believed it to be the same as their other vic. Kate nodded her understanding and Lanie headed off to arrange for transportation of the vic to the morgue. Turning around she found Espo and Ryan talking to the jogger who found her. Looking around the scene, Kate spotted a flash of bright green, approaching it she found it to be a vial of powder, similar to the one found at the first crime scene. Summoning a crime scene tech, she indicated the vial be catalogued and sent immediately for analysis upon return to the Precinct. If it was the same drug, she wanted to know as soon as possible. The boys finished up with the jogger and approached them.

"Vic's name is Catherine Brown-Doyle. Twenty four. Address on Riverside Drive." Ryan handed Beckett her drivers licence.

"Miss Walters found the body whilst she was out for her mid-morning run." Espo told them. "She said she always takes this route for her mid-morning run. She 'enjoys the solitude and beauty of the Park before lunch.'"

"Did she see anything else?" Beckett asked.

"No, she only saw the body, no one else was in the vicinity and no vehicles in the surrounding area

either." Espo added, anticipating her next question.

"Ok," she turned to Ryan, "There are only a few entrances to this part of the park, if that van was involved and was in the park, odds are it was caught on camera. Check traffic cam footage in the area, see it if shows up." She then turned to Esposito. "Set up a canvass of the buildings across the road from the nearest entrance, see if anyone saw or heard anything. Castle and I will check out her apartment." They each set off to see what they could find.

Arriving at the vic's apartment, they were told by the doorman that the manager wasn't in today, but, as they had rang ahead, he had managed to find the spare key in his office. He handed the key to the supervisor, who escorted them up to Catherine's apartment. Walking into the riverside loft they were surprised, it was pleasantly decorated for a well-off owner. The décor was simple and elegant, and gave the impression of a person who had money but didn't flaunt it. Obviously Miss Brown-Doyle had plenty of money, but chose not to spend much of it. She must have had everything she wanted right here. Beckett started in the living room, whilst Castle went into the bedroom and en-suite bathroom. The place was very well lived in, a stack of manuscripts were perched on the coffee table, dishes were in the dishwasher and laundry was folded on top of the dryer. In the bedroom the bed was rumpled and towels hung on the towel warmer. There was evidence of another person living there, an extra toothbrush, men's clothing mixed with a woman's, both strong and decaf coffee in the cupboard. Miss Brown-Doyle had a boyfriend, that much was apparent. Taking another look around, Kate noticed a few more signs of cohabitation. Magazines on model trains, his and hers robes, condoms in the night stand. When they talked to the family they would ask about a boyfriend. Castle found her laptop and started it up, he checked her e-mails and found that she had accounts with several well-known authors. She proof-read their novels for them before sending them on to be published.

"Find anything?" Kate called from the kitchen.

"Nothing that pertains to the case." He closed the laptop and made his way out to the living room. "But she reads for a living. Those manuscripts on the table, they're novels. She proof-reads them and sends them back." Kate took a closer look at the pile, not seeing the one name she was looking for.

"We should get CSU in here, maybe they can tell us who the boyfriend is." Beckett called in their location, leaving word with the supervisor that techs would be arriving within the hour.

They made their way back to the Precinct in silence, both too caught up in their own thoughts to bother with small talk. Whilst Castle went to make coffee for both of them, Kate pulled up a second board to add Catherine Brown-Doyle's murder to it. Handing her a coffee Castle perched on the edge of her desk and watched as the new board took shape. Her quick mind and efficiency never ceased to amaze him. The way she could recall even the smallest detail and forge connections between them continued to astonish him, even after four years of knowing her. She truly was a puzzle he was never going to solve, but he was going to try his hardest. Returning to the boards, Castle looked over all the notes compiled so far. There was no overlap between the two victims. They came from different parts of Manhattan, they were from different socio-economic backgrounds, they even shopped in different parts of the city. The only thing that linked them was the manner in which they died. Beckett finished writing up all the information they had managed to collect from her apartment and leant back against her desk, next to Castle.

"See anything?" She nodded towards the boards as she took a long sip of her coffee.

"No," He sighed. "They only thing connecting them at this moment is the way they died, which we don't know yet, because Lanie hasn't determined what killed them." He felt frustrated, they had nothing right now. The needed a cause of death, something they could investigate.

Beckett's phone rang. "Beckett." She listened for a minute. "Ok, we'll be right there." She hung up and faced Castle. "Lanie's got something."

"Hey Lanie. What have you got?" Kate asked as she and Castle walked through the door to the morgue.

"Something interesting. The autopsy yielded the same results as Mr Davidson, the same substance in her system, just a different colour, this time green. What I did find was that she had recently had the flu and had taken some flu medication for it. There were traces of a herbal remedy in her system. Mr Davidson had the same remedy in his system, but I only found it because I went back to search for it."

"A home-made flu remedy?" Castle asked.

"Yes, but it had no bearing on their death." Lanie told them, anticipating Kate's next question. "Right now I have no cause of death for either of them. Sorry sweetie, but according to the post mortem they both appeared to die of natural causes. I'm still waiting for the analysis to come back on the mystery drug before I make a final determination."

"Thanks Lanie." She said absent-mindedly as she walked towards the door.

"Wait a second." She wasn't letting Kate off that easily. "I want to talk to you for a minute. Alone." She looked pointedly at Castle. He got the message and made a quick exit. Once he'd left, and she made sure he had, she rounded on Kate. "What was that last night?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Kate was playing coy. She knew exactly what she meant.

"Don't give me that, you know I'm talking about you and writer-boy. You looked very cosy last night. Is there something going on between you two?" Lanie was getting a little impatient at the delay.

"There's nothing going on." Dr Parish arched an eyebrow at that. "At least not yet. After you left last night we spent hours just talking, it was amazing. I feel closer to him now than I've ever felt with anyone. I don't know what's going to happen in the future, but I do know that I want to see where we go from here." Her optimism touched Lanie, who silently hoped that things worked out for them this time, that they could start a great love affair that would stand the test of time. "Please don't say anything, I'm not quite ready to take the next step yet, I just know that it's what I want."

"Don't worry, sweetie, I won't say anything. But I will say this. You two are perfect for each other. You've been dancing around the issue for years and it's about time you got together. He's waited three years for you, he can wait a little longer, but don't hold out too long, Kate. He shouldn't have to wait forever, even though he probably would."

"Thanks Lanie." Kate left feeling lighter after talking with her best friend. As she was walking along the corridor she realised Castle wasn't waiting for her in the hall. He must have feared reprisals from her if she caught him. Her best friend could be fiercely protective at times, and Castle had obviously picked up on that. Smiling to herself she grabbed her phone, about to text him and ask where he was when he emerged from the other side of the door she was walking towards. He always seemed to have a knack for appearing out of nowhere, or popping up when his name was mentioned or even when he was just thought about.

"Everything alright?" He asked timidly.

"Yes, Castle, everything is fine." She smirked at him and he looked worried. If they were conspiring together it couldn't be good for him. A thousand scenarios went through his mind, each one more elaborate and unrealistic than the last. "Come on Castle, crime's awaiting." She called back as she walked away from him. Putting the runaway thoughts to the back of his mind, he hurried after Kate, eager to get back to something he knew.

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**Please R&R!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I decided to post up another chapter today. More case-related drama for this one, don't worry though, Caskett smut is not far behind!**

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**Chapter 6 ****–**** Thursday Afternoon**

_'Now I need to draw them in,' She thought to herself. 'They know about the van, so I'll park it in front of the warehouse, where it can be seen from the street.' Walking through the door, she headed for the back room and the ingredients she needed. She mixed the potion together from memory, making just one cup of it. Taking it through to her altar she sprinkled it on the table to create a fine layer of dust. Calling on her powers she felt them rise. Closing her eyes, she recited an invocation from memory:_

_"Goddess Aphrodite, I beseech thee,_

_Please come down and help me._

_Enchant this powder with love and lust,_

_To stop their progress and go bust._

_Make them forget all about this,_

_And only want true love's kiss."_

_There was a whisper of compliance which made it's way to her, signalling her spell was successful. Smiling, she carefully placed the recipe book on top of the powder, open at the correct page and left. She moved the van to the neighbouring warehouse and hid, just out of sight, to await their arrival. _

Returning to the Precinct, they found Ryan and Esposito waiting for them. Convening around the murder boards, they had a mini meeting. Espo reported that the canvass had so far not revealed anything. Half the tenants weren't in, so they had arranged to try again later, when people were more likely to be home. Ryan had reviewed traffic cam footage and, whilst black vans were prevalent, none showed signs of flashing lights. He could get plates from every van, but that would take far too long, and probably end up being a waste of time. They needed more information before they could justify spending time and resources checking all the vans that were in the area at that time. Beckett added the flu remedy to the board and the ME's tentative cause of death.

"Lanie says the medication is definitely home-made, also a possible breakdown of the mystery drug. She gave me a list of the most likely ingredients. Most of them are commercial, but there are a few that can only be found if you know where to look. Check those out, see if anyone has been stocking up. Hopefully it'll get us a name." She handed the list to Ryan. "Espo, I know they said it'll be a few days, but can you get onto the lab, find out what they have. If this is murder, then we've had two vics in two days. Let's not make it third." He nodded and left to get what he could from them.

"Detective Beckett? Miss Brown-Doyle's parents are here." Officer Hastings informed them.

"Thanks, Hastings." They looked across they bullpen as her parents were ushered into the lounge. They definitely had lots of money and knew how to spend it. Their suits were tailored and evidently cost thousands of dollars alone. That wasn't counting all the accessories or the shoes. They literally stopped traffic, foot traffic. Everyone stopped what they were doing to stare at the couple walking through their Precinct. Once they were safety behind closed doors, all conversation resumed.

Castle and Beckett made their way to the other side of the bullpen to talk to the parents.

"Thank you for coming in today, Mr and Mrs Brown-Doyle. We're very sorry for your loss." Beckett began, getting the conversation started.

"Please, Detective, call us Roger and Amy. Brown-Doyle is so formal." Roger said, "We rarely use the title, preferring the relaxed and casual air coming from just a first name. There are no expectations that way."

Beckett smiled, understanding completely. "Ok, I'm Kate and this is Rick. Can you tell us what was going on in your daughter's life recently?"

"Cathie was editing novels. Not that she needed to, her trust fund could easily pay for anything she wanted. But she loved to read, mysteries and romances were her favourite. She's read all of yours too, Rick." Amy surprised him by knowing who he was, even through Kate hadn't mentioned his last name. "Yes, we know who you are, both of you. We also know that you're the best people we can have on our daughter's case." Rick nodded, acknowledging the praise and confidence of Cathie's parents.

"Did she often visit the Park? She was found near Strawberry Fields." Kate got them back on track.

"No, she preferred to stay on the streets, said she felt safer around people."

"Do you know who her boyfriend is?"

"We knew she was seeing someone. She never told us who it was, but we could tell. She seemed happier these last two months, like she'd found her other half." Amy told them.

"So you don't know his name then, or a description." It was becoming another dead end.

"I'm afraid not. We can't figure out why she hid him from us, she's always told us about her boyfriends in the past. As long as she was happy, we didn't care who he was." Amy concluded sadly.

"I have to ask but, do you know if Catherine was taking any club drugs?"

"Good Lord, no. She would rarely take aspirin. She had the flu lately and we had to practically force her to take flu pills." Roger said.

After thanking them and promising to keep them informed, the Brown-Doyle's left, secure in the knowledge that the best partnership in New York was working hard to discover the truth behind their daughter's untimely death.

Heading for the coffee machine, Beckett and Castle discussed the similarities between the cases, hoping to catch a break.

"Both vics appear to have died the same way."

"Both were found in places they didn't frequent."

"Both had recent changes in their lives."

"Both had recently recovered from a bout of the flu." Something started to niggle at Kate. She stood there, coffee forgotten for the moment, going through the cases again in her head. Castle could see the wheels turning, the dots connecting, so he waited and made the coffees.

"It's pure conjecture at the moment," she hurried out towards the murder boards, "at least until we hear from CSU, but what if our vics were together, what if she-" she pointed to Cathie, "was dating him-" pointing at Chris, "and they were involved in something that got them killed." A light went on in Castle's mind and it started spinning theories to explain what happened to them. "Slow down, Castle. Until we know for sure whether it's true or not, we need to keep pursuing the lines we do have."

"Detective Beckett." Officer Johnson approached them. "We got a sighting of the van. It was spotted near an abandoned warehouse down at the docks." He handed her a slip of paper with the address.

"Thanks, Johnson." Eager to try and catch the guy, they hurried down to the garage, coffee's forgotten and cooling on Beckett's desk.

Half an hour later they arrived at the warehouse. There was no sign of the van though, they were too late to catch anyone. Deciding to take a look around, they approached the entrance door cautiously. Just because it looked abandoned, didn't mean it was empty. Kicking the door open, Kate instructed Castle to wait whilst she cleared the room. From the light filtering in through the broken windows, Kate could make out broken furniture in one corner and some crates positioned near a door at the other end, which probably led to the offices. Turning around to call Castle in, she found him a few steps behind her. Shaking her head at his inability to follow even the simplest command, she made her way to the closed door in the corner. Motioning him to stay again, she took a look through the window in the door. Seeing nothing, Kate opened the door, stepping into the corridor.

"Stay behind me" She whispered, knowing Castle was right behind her, despite repeated attempts to make him stay back. Moving slowly, she cleared each room as they passed. They were all empty apart from a few wooden boxes and scattered detritus. There was no evidence of the previous life of this warehouse left, it's job as an export business long since forgotten. Getting to the end of the hall, they still hadn't found anything and they had one door left to go through. It was a steel door with no window to see through. With no idea what was on the other side, Kate motioned for Castle to stand on the far side, whilst she positioned herself near the handle. Looking at Castle she nodded, indicating she was ready, was he? Returning his nod, Kate focused her attention of the door.

Depressing the handle, she pushed the door open a few inches. The room was pitch black so she shone her torch in, which only illuminated the dust she had displaced by opening it. When nothing jumped out at her, she toed the door open all the way. It opened soundlessly and stopped before it hit the wall. The torchlight showed a few tables and many boxes, as well as a light switch. Pulling the switch illuminated the entire back room. It was obvious now that the warehouse was split into two large production areas, one at each end, with the offices and staff areas placed in the middle. Now that the room was lit, they could see that this was still a production area. There were 2 tables full of basic equipment - glasses, measuring jugs, wooden spoons, kitchen knives- a very simple chemistry set. One side of the room was dedicated to boxes and boxes filled with raw ingredients and the other had several locked filing cabinets.

Clearing the room first, Kate ensured they were alone, that no-one could sneak up on them. Starting with the equipment they checked everything out. It was obvious that this was a drug manufacturing plant. Taking a look in the boxes they determined that they were the ingredients listed by Lanie. This was where their mystery drug was made, but they couldn't see any of the finished product. After their initial search Beckett called it in, arranged for everything to be sent back to the Precinct and any trace evidence to be collected. Whilst they waited them to arrive, Castle and Beckett ventured towards the outer door, partially hidden from view behind the cabinets. Opening it, they found themselves in another room. It was a recent addition and not part of the original structure. There was only one way in and the only source of light came from the open door. Inside the room was a table, covered in candles, used and new, and a book. Taking a closer look, they saw that it was open on a page, detailing the recipe for cooking up a drug called Thallowflovoine. The ingredients list was a match to the boxes in the main space. The effects of the drug weren't listed though, so they would still have to wait for the detailed report to come in. There was also a thin layer of dust on the table, like it hadn't been used for a few days, but oddly, none on the book. It was pristine. Gingerly Beckett lifted the book and shone her torch underneath. It confirmed her suspicions, the book had been placed on top of the dust. That didn't make much sense to Kate, so she noted it for CSU.

Castle suddenly sneezed, startling her and displacing some of the dirt.

"Geez Castle, way to give someone a heart attack." She straightened up and sneezed herself.

"Gesundheit." He threw back at her, smirking slightly.

"We should get out of here before we contaminate the scene any further." Turning around she retraced her steps and approached her car to wait. Leaning against the door, she closed her eyes and lifted her head to the sun, enjoying a rare opportunity to just stop and take in the sun.

Castle watched in awe as Kate leant into the sun. Her hair tumbled down her back in rivers of golden brown, swaying softly in the slight breeze coming in off the water. With her neck arched elegantly and her face glowing in the sunlight she looked absolutely gorgeous. Every inch the goddess he knew was hiding inside just waiting for the right man and the right moment to emerge.

Kate could feel Castle's eyes on her, she knew he was staring with that look in his eyes. The look she was only now beginning to accept and come to terms with in herself. The look of love. Feeling bold, she decided to play it up. They were alone for the moment, so she made the most of it. Tossing her hair, she stretched out fully, thrusting her breasts out and arching her spine, really accentuating her profile. She knew he loved her, but was waiting for her to come to him when she was ready. Using that to her advantage, she sighed sensually.

Castle breath hitched upon hearing her sigh, there was something in the moment, charging the atmosphere between them. Although there was a good six feet between them, it felt like six inches. She was driving him mad with lust and he was slowly losing his restraint. If she continued down this line, he was quite ready to throw caution to the wind and kiss the life out of her against the side of her cruiser. She lifted her hands and ran them through her hair, giving it a sexy, ruffled look, before running them down her sides to rest on the car door again. Without knowing it he took a step forward.

Kate opened her eyes when she heard a step next to her. She stared straight into Castle's eyes, finding them burning with passion, and it's intensity frightened her for a second. Whilst she was prepared to see it, the strength of his feelings caught her off guard. Seeing the fear for a split-second cooled Castle's raging lust faster than a cold shower ever could. When they got together, and they would, there would be no fear, no regrets and no second thoughts. There would be only love, desire and a mutual understanding that it was what they both wanted. Smiling softly at her, he closed the gap and trapped her between him and the car.

"You're playing with fire, Detective." He lifted a hand to stroke his knuckles down her cheek. Her eyelids fluttered at the sensation, but she never broke eye contact. She watched as his head lowered to hers, and his hand turned to cup her head. He searched her eyes, checking to see that she wanted this, that she was ok with the next step. Finding it, he closed the distance between them and kissed her softly, once, twice, three times. He started to pull away, not wanting to overdo it, when she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him back in, kissing him hard. After the initial shock, his kissed her back. Wrapping his hands around her waist, he pushed her back against the car and ground his pelvis against hers. Gasping at the pleasure coursing through her, her knees buckled, causing her to grasp his shoulders tightly. Taking the opportunity her gasp afforded, Castle thrust his tongue into her mouth and tangled it with hers. He kissed her thoroughly, simulating what he wanted to do with his body. He ran his hands down her sides and grabbed her ass, thrusting against her, drawing another moan from her. Leaving her mouth, he ran his lips around her cheek, down to her neck, where he laved her pulse point before sucking on it gently. She raised her head, giving him better access, not thinking about the consequences. She ran her hands through his hair, anchoring him to her neck, leading him where she wanted him to go. Finishing with her neck he started moving down her chest, when they heard the rumble and squeal of several approaching vehicles. Breaking apart, they stood there staring at each other for a minute, breathing heavily.

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**Please R&R.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 ****–**** Thursday Afternoon Part 2**

Recovering first, Castle's eyes widened slightly, looking at her neck. Kate had recovered enough to see this look and asked him what was wrong.

"You might want to rearrange your hair." He approached her carefully, unsure of her reaction. He leaned down slightly and whispered, "You've got a hickey."

Gasping in horror, she whirled around to find a mirror. Getting in the car she looked in the rear view and saw he was right. A vivid purple mark was highly visible on the side of her neck and her lips were swollen. There was no mistaking what they had been up to. Glaring daggers at Castle and furious with herself for her lack of restraint, she brought her hair forward and arranged it so that the mark disappeared. Now all she had to do was remember it was there and not pull her hair back. She took a moment to compose herself before stepping out to greet the rest of the team.

Ryan and Espo walked up and immediately noticed something had happened, but knowing the situation awaiting them, filed it away for later. "This is our lab, guys." Beckett address everyone. "All the ingredients are in the back room, along with equipment they used to make it, but I couldn't find any of the finished product. There are several locked cabinets along the side wall, which partially block a door, leading to a room where there is a recipe book of sorts." Turning to the techs she added, "In that room, there is a layer of dust on the table, which struck me as odd, can you please collect a sample for testing. It may not prove conclusive though, as it caused both Castle and myself to sneeze, possibly contaminating the scene." The technicians nodded their thanks, knowing to mark the evidence as such.

Ryan and Espo followed Castle and Beckett into the warehouse, where they were given a run down of everything they had found on their initial walk-through. Going through the offices to the back room, they found the techs hard at work taking pictures and collecting evidence. Heading to the side door, they set about opening the cabinets. Using bolt cutters Espo broke of the padlocks one at a time. Calling a tech over they waited whilst pictures were taken of the contents before methodically checking the contents. The first contained files detailing failed and successful experiments, as well as the effects of each. The second had hundreds of candles of all sizes and colours. In the last one they hit the jackpot, two large containers were found, one containing vibrant green and the other shocking pink powder. In the bottom drawer of that cabinet were cardboard boxes full of small, empty vials, ready for packaging the drugs.

"Let's get all this back to the lab, determine if it's a match to the drugs we've already recovered." Beckett called over two CSU techs and instructed them to take samples of the drugs and get everything boxed up and sent to the lab. Leaving the boys to oversee the situation, Castle and Beckett stepped outside into the fresh air.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Castle started to apologise. "Kate, I'm sorry-"

"No, Castle, it wasn't your fault, not entirely. We both got carried away." She interrupted.

"I shouldn't have started anything." He held up a hand to stop her. "I gave in to my impulses, despite knowing there were others on the way. I gave you a hickey, forgetting that it would cause embarrassment and ribbing from the boys. I know you aren't ready for this, yet I pushed you into it. I'm so sorry, Kate."

"You didn't push me into anything Rick." Kate forced him to meet her eyes, so he could see she was telling the truth. "I let you give me a hickey, I let you kiss me. But, you didn't start this, I did. I knew you were watching me." She waited for that to sink in, for him to realise what she was saying. She saw when the light went on. "I knew what I was doing to you."

When he fully understood what she was saying, his heart skipped a beat. She was knowingly baiting him, fully aware of what was going to happen, and if he remembered correctly, she pulled him in for that kiss. She was ready. His mind raced with all the things he wanted to do with her. First off, though, he needed to reign in his libido and do things right.

"Do you want to go to dinner tonight?" He asked tentatively. Seeing her initial reticence he rushed to soothe her concerns. "I know a great little place around the corner from me. Very discrete, very intimate, we won't need to worry about being seen there."

She thought about it for a minute, then slowly nodded her head. "Ok. Yes, I'll go to dinner with you." His smile lit up his whole face and triggered an answering smile on hers. Aware of the fact that they weren't alone was the only reason she wasn't jumping all over him right now. Maintaining professional decorum in front of her colleagues was vital. If Gates found out anything was happening between them, he'd be out of the Precinct faster than he could blink. She was a stickler for the rules, and co-workers dating was a big no-no. Even though Castle wasn't technically a member of the police force, that wouldn't matter to Gates. Turning away, she started walking around the warehouse, looking for any evidence outside that might indicate who'd been there. She found nothing until they reached the added room. In the mud, there were tyre tracks, consistent with the tracks at the first scene, as well as footprints, leading down to the river. They must have a boat or something, to help transport the drugs elsewhere. There was something missing though.

"Where are the footprints leading from the building?" Castle echoed Beckett's thoughts.

"I don't know, they seem to appear out of nowhere." She crouched down for a closer look, trying to determine where the footprints came from. Moving slowly back towards the warehouse, she could see that they just appeared, as if the perps could walk through walls. "There has to be a hidden door around here. Help me look." They examined the walls around the room, running their hands over the brickwork, looking for a latch or a loose brick, anything that could, effectively, open a door.

"Nothing. You?"

"No, it must be on the other side." Castle told her, dropping his hands. "Maybe the boys can find it on their end?"

"Yeah," She picked up her radio. "Hey Ryan, Espo you there?"

"Yo." Came Espo's response.

"We're outside the addition, and we found footprints that appear out of nowhere. There's a door here somewhere, can you see if there's a way to open it from inside?"

"Sure, heading in now." He called off and turned to the other detective. "Ryan, we got a door in here somewhere. Beckett wants us to look around, try to open it." Both detectives entered the small, scarcely lit room and started their search.

"Yo Beckett, whereabouts are these prints?"

"The back wall, half way along." Came her prompt response. The concentrated their focus on the wall, looking for slight anomalies, loose bricks or even a handle, hidden in the structure. Feeling along the wall, they tried to find it. There was no evidence of a door at all, no hinges, no handles, no scuff marks on the floor. If there was a door, it was really well hidden.

"There's nothing here, Beckett. If there is a door, we can't find it." Ryan told them, apologetically.

"Try outside the room, on the walls surrounding the only door." Castle suddenly called, struck by inspiration.

"What?" Kate was slightly confused.

"There may be a door here, but it may open from inside the main room, like having a light switch outside a room to turn on before you go inside." Castle was bouncing on his feet, clearly excited about something. Rolling her eyes at him, she relayed the suggestion to the boys.

"Do you have any idea what that means?" Espo asked Ryan.

"Not a clue, but let's see if it's there." The stepped back into the warehouse and searched around the door for a secret switch. About three quarters of they way up the left side, there was a loose brick. It was slightly out of alignment with the rest of the structure. Half way up on the other side was another one. Directly above them was a third. "Looks like Castle was onto something." He lifted his radio. "Beckett, we found what looks like a lock of sorts."

"On our way." Castle and Beckett quickly made their way back inside and joined the boys by the door.

"There are loose bricks here, here and here" Ryan pointed to the left, right and directly above them.

"I was right! It's a combination lock!" Castle exclaimed, like a kid on Christmas.

"Calm down, Castle. We still need to figure it out, if it is actually a lock, to get the door open." Kate warned him. Approaching the doorway, Kate studied it thoroughly, checking for any hidden dangers or traps. Not seeing anything she gingerly ran her hand over the bricks, determining that they were loose enough to pull out or push in. "These bricks move both ways, so it could be any one of over fifty combinations. That's a lot of work."

"I don't mind." Castle jumped in.

"Are you sure? It'll be a long, tedious job." Beckett told him, wanting him to understand what he was signing up for.

"I know, Kate. I really don't mind." When she nodded, he returned to the door to start. The first thing he did was push and pull each brick to test it's manoeuvrability and listen to the sounds they made. That done, he started 'entering' combinations. It took him close to an hour, but, finally, he selected the right combination. "Got it!" A low groaning sound started, indicating he was correct. As they watched, the entire small room began to move. First it moved out about 6 inches, then it raised up about a foot off the ground, before the whole structure swung upwards and outwards, creating an opening large enough to get a truck into. The four of them looked on, awed at the intricacy of the design. It was an astonishing feat of engineering. The people behind this operation were highly intelligent and incredibly skilled in numerous fields.

"Well, now we know how they got in and out without being seen." Espo commented, regaining his composure first.

"Let's get this documented. Someone had to gather the materials to build this, so there should be a record." Beckett turned to Ryan. "See if you can find out where they were bought from. This wasn't commercially done, so discount the construction companies and planned private builds. This was done privately, no planning application. Hopefully that will give us a small list of names to check out." Espo and Ryan took a closer look at the mechanisms and started making a list of the supplies needed to build it.

After what seemed like hours, the whole warehouse had been dusted, photographed, documented and all the drug paraphernalia loaded up and on it's way to the Precinct for cataloguing. Castle and Beckett ensured that everyone else had left and the whole place emptied before getting in the car and heading back themselves.

"What should I wear?" Kate asked, breaking the silence in the car.

"Hm?" Castle replied absent-mindedly.

"Tonight, for dinner. Is there a dress code?" She prompted, regaining his attention.

"Oh sorry. It's a family run establishment, with a smart-casual dress code. It's a fairly up-scale restaurant, but the owners are very down to earth and friendly. They're on a first-name basis with a majority of their patrons and the food is incredible. I love the place, it's where I go when I want to be Richard Rodgers, where I can count on being left alone."

"Sounds personal. Are you sure you want to take me there? I mean it's your special place. I don't want to ruin that for you."

Castle smiled at her insecurities. "Yes, I'm sure. I want you to experience what it's like to be with me as a person, not a name. I want to take you somewhere special, spoil you, treat you like a goddess. I want to show you what you mean to me."

Kate was speechless, she knew his feelings ran deep, but this was a lot more than what she expected or believed was possible. Blushing at the intensity of his earnestness, she refocused on the road and said no more until they reached the Precinct. "I'll meet you at the loft at 7." She got out of the car quickly, not waiting for a response from him, knowing he would likely try to insist on picking her up, even though it would be well out of his way. They made their way inside and walked into a hive of activity. Everyone was rushing around, booking in evidence, writing reports and sorting samples for testing. It was all systems go. Fighting their way to Kate's desk they, or rather she, started to write up her report. Castle just sat next to her, as usual, and preceded to play around on his phone. A few minutes later he stood up and excused himself. Knee deep in paperwork, Beckett just waved him off. Walking around the corner, Castle placed a call.

"Café Rosa, how may I help you today?"

He got right to the point. "Hello, I need a reservation for two tonight at 7:30. The name is Rodgers."

"Of course, Mr Rodgers, would you like your usual table?"

"Not tonight. Tonight is special. I want romantic and private."

"Ok Mr Rodgers. I know just the table for you, booked for tonight at 7:30. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"No, thank you. That is all." He hung up, pleased he was able to get a table for tonight. Some nights were busier than others and required you to book a few days in advance. Luckily today wasn't one of those days. With a bounce in his step he returned to the desk to find Beckett in exactly the same place as he left her. Making a quick about turn he headed for the break room to make them some coffee. He decided to cheer Kate up by making her a special cup this time. Checking to make sure he was alone, he stirred the cream into the shape of a heart. Picking both cups up, he made his way back to her desk, paying attention to all the cops around him, making sure they didn't see the heart. Reaching the desk he sat down and placed the cup in her line of sight.

When a fresh cup of coffee appeared at the edge of her vision she paused to look at the person responsible. "Thanks." She went to pick it up and that's when she saw the heart. Her breath caught at his thoughtfulness. Looking into his eyes, she smiled softly at him and picked up her coffee to take a sip. It was perfect, as always. He knew exactly how she liked her coffee and never failed to make it perfectly. Watching her enjoy the drink and the 'gift' he made filled him with pride and a little love. After all, it was the little things that mattered.

Five o'clock came around and Kate packed up, intent on getting home to prepare for her date with Castle. "Night guys." She called to Espo and Ryan whilst heading towards the elevator. She watched as Castle did the same and headed for the stairs.

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**Please R&R!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Now it's time for their first date! Also some good old fashioned smut after the dotted line, so if you don't like, don't read!**

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**Chapter 8 – Thursday Evening**

Six o'clock found Kate wrapped in a towel, drying her hair and applying her make-up. Despite the fact that it was her first date with Castle, she was remarkably calm and collected. She had her clothes laid out on the bed and her shoes and bag all ready and waiting. Hair dried, she started pinning it up, pulling a few tendrils out to hang around her face. She checked her reflection in the mirror - hair successfully styled and make-up applied perfectly. She was almost ready. She approached her bed and picked up her dress. Dropping the towel she carefully slipped the item of clothing over her head. As it was a skin-tight dress, it took a bit of manoeuvring to get the dress in place. Once she had it where she wanted it, she stepped into her shoes. Taking one last look in the mirror, she decided she was ready. She slipped on her coat, picked up her bag and headed downstairs to hail a cab.

"Does this tie look ok?" Castle asked Alexis. He was in a panic. It was five to seven and he still wasn't ready. Holding up a second against the one he already had on he turned to seek his daughters council.

"Dad, you look fine." She undid the red tie he had on and replaced it with the royal blue one he was holding. "But this is the one you want. It matches your eyes."

"Are you sure?" He turned pleading eyes on his daughter. He wanted to get this right the first time. It would set the tone for the rest of the relationship.

"Yes, dad. She'll love it, I promise." She finished adjusting his tie and turned him to face the mirror. Looking over his shoulder at the image he made, she said, "See, you look dashing."

There was a knock at the door and Castle looked at the clock. It was seven on the dot. She was nothing if not punctual. His heart started racing. Rolling her eyes at her father, Alexis went to open the door and let Kate in.

"Hello, Detective." She stepped back to let her in. "He's in the bedroom, he'll be out in a minute."

"Thanks, Alexis. And please, call me Kate." The young woman smiled slightly, acknowledging the suggestion, debating on whether to use it.

"Take a seat, Kate. I've got homework, so I've gotta go." She raised her voice so Castle could hear. "I'm off to Paige's, I'll see you tomorrow dad." She grabbed her bag and left without waiting for a response.

Slipping off her coat, Kate took the opportunity to look around the loft without an audience. It was quite obvious that it was a masculine space, but with touches of femininity dotted around. Evidently he preferred things to be kept his way, but wasn't afraid to show his softer side in his own home. Looking closer she realised that Alexis shone through most of the décor. There were pictures placed strategically around that showed just how close they were, even the odd picture of Martha could be seen, if you looked hard enough. Browsing the bookshelf, she could see children's books interspersed with Castle's eclectic taste in literature. He certainly impressed Kate with his choice of children's stories. There were the obvious choices, then there were the less obvious choices for children. Being a writer definitely influenced his reading materials. Classics like Shakespeare and the Bronte sisters. He definitely wanted his daughter to have the best education he could give her. Like he said before, he had stressed story structure from an early age. It must have been nice for Alexis to have such care and attention from a man famous for his dalliances and short attention span. He really loved his daughter very much to put this much time and effort into tutoring her in the classics.

Castle took a deep breath and stepped into the lounge. At first he didn't see her, but when he turned towards his office he saw her studying his book collection. She looked exquisite, so much so that she literally took his breath away. He stood there, forgetting to breathe, as he watched her peruse his shelves. Soon though, he needed oxygen, so ended up taking a big breath, which attracted Kate's attention. She turned to him and his mouth went dry. She was wearing mid thigh length dress in royal blue. It hugged her curves and made her look like the goddess he knew her to be. Her legs her bare, with four inch black stiletto heels on her feet. Her hair was piled on top of her head with a few loose tendrils framing her face. She was, again, exquisite. He could think of no other words to describe her, his mind had gone blank.

Kate was stunned into silence, Castle was wearing a charcoal suit, with a royal blue tie. They matched, was all she could think about. He looked devastatingly handsome. All the breath left her body in a rush, leaving her feeling light-headed. She felt weak at the knees, and felt herself started to fall. In a flash, Castle was there to catch her. Up close he was even more handsome. His cologne surrounded her and complemented hers.

Staring into her eyes, Castle saw the barely concealed lust that was building behind her eyes. Deciding to risk it, he leant down and gave her a chaste kiss, just a small one, a promise for later. She tasted sublime, and it took all his willpower to pull back and put her back on her feet. Once she was steady again he let her go and took a step back. "We should get doing it we want to make our reservation." He said, roughly, heading off to collect his keys and his composure, before extending an arm for Kate to take. Smiling at his chivalry, she pulled her coat on, looped her arm in his and they left the loft. Taking the elevator down to the ground floor was excruciatingly slow. Keeping his hands to himself was proving very difficult at the moment. Finally the doors dinged open and they made their way out onto the street. Turning left, Castle led them down the street towards a small, innocuous restaurant, partially hidden behind a large tree. Upon seeing it Kate realised just what he meant when he said they could be anonymous here. The front windows were reflective, so no one could see in, and the signage was plain and forgettable. You could walk right past it and never even know it was there.

"Oh, Castle, how did you find this place?" She looked up in awe at the simplicity of the café.

"If you think this is good, wait until you see the inside." He tugged on her arm, pulling her towards the door and all that awaited. Opening the door, the atmosphere changed completely. Gone was the hustle and bustle of New York City. The interior was all oak wood panelling, lending the room an air of tranquillity and the open countryside. Everything was set up to induce a feeling a serenity and peace. There were candles just about everywhere. There was no other light visible in the main room. Obviously in the kitchen there were lights, but out here, it was completely reliant on candlelight. It was beautiful. They approached the maître'd and Castle gave the name Rodgers. They hostess gave them a huge smile and led the way to a table near the back, in a secluded corner, where they could count on privacy. Seating them, she gave them their menus and told them their server, Carlita, would be with them shortly. Taking the opportunity to enjoy a quiet moment Castle decided to be bold. He picked up Kate's hand and gave it a kiss.

She looked at him, puzzled by the sudden display of affection. "What was that for?"

"Just for saying yes. And because I couldn't help myself." He added, cheekily. She smiled at his impulsiveness and squeezed his fingers, before returning to the menu. "It all looks delicious." She commented, looking at the amazing array of dishes available to them. A moment later a bubbly young woman approached the table.

"Hello, my name is Carlita, I'll be your server tonight. Can I interest you in some wine before taking your order?" She showed Castle the wine list, which he looked at for a second before choosing his usual.

"We'll have my usual, please." He smiled at the young woman, handing her the list, before focussing his attention on the beautiful woman sitting across from him. He could hardly believe he was actually here, with Kate Beckett, on a date. After pinching himself a few times he finally believed he was actually awake and it was really happening. Watching her as she carefully read the menu, he admired her quiet strength, her graceful beauty and her witty intelligence. She could match him in a battle of wits any day and mostly win. She was more than his equal, she was everything he wanted in a woman and more. She was the only one for him, now and forever. In his future he saw Kate Beckett and no other.

"You're staring again." She said, without looking up. She could feel his heated gaze on her. When she got no response from him she did look up at him. He was staring at her, but he was miles away, caught up in his own thoughts. Shaking her head slightly, she smiled at his distraction. Then she had a rather playful thought. Grinning widely to herself she slipped her shoe off. Moving carefully, she slowly ran her foot up the inside of his leg, light enough to be barely there. She felt his leg shake, so she did it again, this time going down the other leg. That was enough to rouse him from his thoughts. He raised his leg as much as he could under the table and ran his hand over it, trying to remove the itch. "You ok there, Castle?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Carlita returned at that point with their wine. She poured a small amount in Castle's glass for him to try, when he nodded she filled both glasses and left the bottle on the table.

"Are you ready to order?" She asked, taking out a pen and pad from her pocket.

"Yes," Castle said. "I'll have the Chicken Cacciatore with the leaf green salad. Kate?"

Taking one last look at the menu Kate decided on the vegetarian ravioli with side order of bacon strips. Writing that down, Carlita told them it would be about twenty minutes, and, gathering the menus, said she would bring out some breadsticks for them in a few minutes.

Kate resumed her feather light brushes up his legs, intent on driving him to distraction. He jumped at the touch, convinced something was in his trousers, and rubbed his hand over his calf.

"You sure you're ok Castle? You seem a bit distracted." She showed concern for him, whilst inside she was smirking.

"I'm fine, Kate. Really." He shook off his preoccupation and refocused on Kate. "Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?"

She blushed at the compliment and smiled at him. "No, but thanks." She looked him over appreciatively. "Your pretty dashing tonight too, Mr Castle."

"I have to confess, Kate, that I'm having a hard time keeping my hands to myself right now."

"I know what you mean, but there are other body parts that can play." She demonstrated by continuing her assault on his legs.

"It's you." He accused. "All this time, it's been you and your feet harassing my legs."

"Guilty as charged." She laughed softly, intent on continuing her game and taking it to the next level. She started to venture further, daring to run her toes up his thigh. Carlita chose that moment to reappear with a basket of breadsticks, rolls and butter. Castle jumped, both at the interruption and Kate's ministrations. Used to the eccentricities and romances of the patrons, Carlita didn't even blink. She left the table without a word, not wanting to disturb the new couple any longer than necessary. Kate picked up a breadstick and broke it in half. Biting into one piece, she offered the other to Castle. As he took it they brushed fingers, sending a jolt of electricity through them both. Reluctant to part, they sat there, maintaining eye contact and holding one half of a breadstick between them. Eventually Kate dropped her eyes and let go of the stick to eat her half. With heated glances and lengthy touches, they made quick work of the remaining breadsticks. Words became unnecessary for them, what needed to be said, could be said in a whole manner of other ways.

Beckett's nimble toes moved ever further up Castle's legs, getting closer and closer to his erection, which had been constant since she admitted to teasing him. It was becoming increasingly difficult for him to reign in his lust and remember he was in a public place, that he couldn't throw her on the table and take her hard.

Not a moment too soon, their dinner arrived, putting an end, momentarily, to the torture she was inflicting on him. Sitting back whilst their plates were deposited, Kate decided to give Castle a small measure of mercy, and dropped her foot back into her shoe. He breathed a sigh of relief when she stopped, able to regain his composure and his ability to think.

The first bite was bliss, the flavours exploded across her tongue, causing her to moan sensually and close her eyes. "God, Castle. This is incredible." Picking up a piece of bacon, she tried that too, and discovered it tasted better than anything she'd had before. She was so engrossed in her food, that she missed Castle's reaction to hers. The wine complimented the food perfectly and had an added effect on her. She started to feel horny, and there was only one person she wanted. Only one man who could possibly satisfy her and he was sitting across from her, completely oblivious to the feelings coursing through her. Finishing her meal was difficult, despite being delicious, as all she wanted to do was strip Castle naked and ride him all night long. Draining her glass, she waited impatiently for Castle to finish his, throwing him seductive looks which he ignored. At last he put his fork down and drank the last of his wine.

"Rick, take me home, right now." He looked up at her low, sexy tone, shocked to see lust blazing in her eyes, overshadowing everything else. He called for the check immediately, not wanting to waste time or let her change her mind. After paying the bill and leaving a sizeable tip for their server, they left the restaurant in a hurry. The walk back to his loft took only five minutes, but it felt like hours to both of them. Beckett's wandering hands were turning him on, fast, causing him to stumble.

Reaching the lobby, they found the elevator open, which was a godsend. Hopping in he hit the button for the top floor. As soon as the doors closed Kate was on him, kissing him hard and plastering her body against his. Powerless to resist, Rick slammed her against the back wall, grinding his throbbing erection into her stomach. Kate wrapped her legs around his waist, trying to find some relief for the tension flooding through her. She needed skin to skin, she needed to feel Castle pounding her into the mattress, she needed to come, and she needed it now. The elevator doors opened, and Castle just grabbed her ass and walked towards the loft with her in his arms. She nibbled on his neck, almost causing him to drop her, so he retaliated by slapping her ass. She just giggled and continued up to his ear. He pressed her against the door and fumbled with the keys. Finally managing to get the door open they practically fell through it in their preoccupation. Regaining his footing, he nearly ran to the bedroom. Slamming the door shut, he released her and let her slide to the floor.

With her arms around his shoulders she slid his jacket down his arms, leaving it to pool at his feet. Once his hands were free he attacked the buttons on her coat, making easy work of them. Drawing it off, he threw it towards the chair and failed miserably. It landed in a heap three feet from them. He kissed her, hard, stealing her ability to think about anything other than the here and now. Running her hands over his body, she discovered he wasn't all soft. He obviously took care of himself, worked out a bit to achieve the physique she was feeling. Wanting to see for herself she started undoing his buttons. Looking up at him from beneath her lashes, she slowly bared more and more flesh. She kissed every inch that she revealed, causing him to suck in a sharp breath and, as she reached his stomach, flinch a little. She smiled wickedly, "Ticklish, are you, Rick?" and kissed his stomach again, eliciting a small chuckle from him. Filing that away for later, she undid the final one and drew his shirt open. Feasting her eyes on his body, she wasn't disappointed. He looked scrumptious and he was hers. She ran the palms of her hands over his ribs, up his pecs and round his shoulders. She took the shirt with her, drawing it down his arms and off.

His hands weren't immobile either, he was trying to find a way to take off the gorgeous dress, but was slowly loosing patience with it. "How do you get this thing off? It's like it's been stitched on." He had passed his hands all over the back and sides and he still couldn't find a zipper anywhere. Kate smiled at his frustration and decided to help him.

"I shimmied into it, Rick. There are no zippers anywhere on this dress." She whispered seductively in his ear, licking the shell of it on her way out. He groaned at the image she painted in his very active mind, getting more turned on as images of her naked, slipping into the dress, passed behind his closed eyelids. "Do you want me to remove it for you?" Without opening his eyes, he nodded, convinced he was about to spontaneously combust from all the heat he was generating.

She took his hands in hers and, when he opened his eyes, led him to the bed, pushing him to sit and watch. She stepped out of her shoes and kicked them towards the door, then leant down to remove Castle's, knowing he'd be too far gone to do it himself in about two minutes, with what she was about to do. Placing them under the bed she stood up and waited for his attention to be wholly focused on her. Once it was she began. She ran her hands down her body to the bottom of the dress. Flattening them, she used them to draw the dress up her legs slowly, exposing her black, lace panties to his hungry gaze. Pulling it up over her hips took a little longer, but she managed it, maintaining her composure. The next part was tricky. She had to get it over her head. Throwing Castle a sultry look she got an idea. "Give me a hand."

He could hardly believe his eyes and ears. Kate Beckett was undressing in his bedroom and wanted his help. Standing up, he towered over her and waited for her instruction. Taking his hands, she placed them on the hem of the dress and helped him start to pull it up. Once he got the idea, she raised her arms and let him pull it over her head. She heard his gasp when he saw she wasn't wearing a bra. The dress hung, forgotten, from his limp fingers as he drank in the sight of Kate Beckett in just her panties. Feeling under-dressed Kate unbuckled his belt and slid it free, then unzipped his trousers, letting them pool at his feet. His attention was still on her nearly naked body, so she ducked her head to find his eyes. "I'm really here, Rick, and I'm not going anywhere. Now are you going to put this to use?" She palmed his erection through his boxers and led him to the bed. She crawled backwards to the middle of the bed, pulling Castle with her. Capturing his lips for a scorching kiss, Kate pulled him down on top of her, crushing her breasts against his chest. The sensation floored Castle, and he had to remember to breathe. Running a hand down one of her endless legs, he wrapped it around his waist, opening her to him. The only barrier left between them was a tiny scrap of lace and his boxers. Rubbing his erection against her dripping core proved to be their undoing. Playtime was over. At the same time Kate lowered Castle's boxers, he ripped her panties clean off. He lined himself up, then paused.

"Castle, please." She begged, "I need you inside me now." She tilted her hips, trying to make him move. Truly convinced now that it wasn't a dream, he thrust forward hard. They both gasped at the sensations shooting through them. After a moment to allow her to adjust, Castle began to move, slowly at first, wanting to savour the experience. That wasn't what Kate wanted though, she wanted hard and fast, so she squeezed her inner muscles, causing him to falter. "Harder, Rick, please." His restraint snapped and began to pound into her, hard enough for the bed to start hitting the wall. This was what Kate wanted, hard and fast. She scored her nails down his back, almost drawing blood in her excitement. He retaliated by nuzzling her neck, sucking hard on her pulse point and leaving her a second hickey. "I'm so close, Rick." She panted, feeling her orgasm rushing upon her. Sensing it, he reached a hand between their bodies for her clit. Tweaking it was all it took to send her crashing over the edge, her spine arched and she let out a soundless cry. Seeing the ecstasy on her face triggered his own orgasm, and groaning, he thrust a few more times as her body milked his dry.

Collapsing, Castle tried to roll off Kate, but she held on tight, refusing to let him move. "I'll crush you." He protested, trying to move.

"I don't care. Stay, please." She clung to him, rejecting his reasoning. She liked the weight, it was comforting. Giving in he gently lowered himself so he covered her fully. She revelled in the feeling, enjoying it. After a few minutes though, Castle's concern for her overshadowed him and he rolled them over so she was on top. She rested her head on his shoulder, soaking in his warmth as her body started to cool. Feeling her shiver, Castle pulled the comforter around them, not bothering to move and get under the covers. They lay there, basking in the afterglow for a while, before the cool air of the loft forced them to climb into bed. Pulling the covers up high, Castle pulled Kate in close spooning her, not wanting any space between them. Getting comfortable, Kate pillowed her head on Castle's arm and pulled his arm tight round her. They drifted off to sleep like that, content for the first time in a long while.

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**What do you think? I'm not terribly comfortable writing smut, but I gave it a good shot. Hope you like it. R&R please!**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: More smutty goodness in this chapter, so you've been warned. Don't like, don't read!**

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**Chapter 9 ****–**** Thursday Night**

A few hours later Castle awoke to find himself alone in bed, the other side cool to the touch. "Kate?" He called, rising from the bed, desperately wanting the evening to have been real. Walking into the lounge, he found her standing in the kitchen, drinking a glass of water.

Turning at the sound of shuffling feet, Kate saw Castle approaching. "I woke up feeling very thirsty. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all, Kate, please make yourself at home." He walked around the counter and got a glass for himself, suddenly feeling parched too. They stood there in silence, gulping down their drinks and pouring more. Once they were fully hydrated again, they walked hand in hand back to the bedroom. Climbing into bed, this time, Kate practically jumped on him, clinging tightly as she fell asleep again. Smiling at the discovery that Kate was a cuddly sleeper, Castle wrapped his arms around her and very quickly joined her in slumber.

It was still dark out when Kate awoke to the sensation of someone running their fingers down her spine. Lying on her back, she waited to see where the wandering hands would go next.  
Castle was unaware that Kate was awake and continued mapping out her back with his fingers. Once he finished there he started on her sides, and lightly touched her surgical scar, causing her to flinch slightly. He froze for a moment at being caught, but when she didn't move or rebuff him, he continued. Touching it gently he was reminded that a few months ago he had almost lost her.

Overcome with emotion, he leant down and kissed it reverently, thankful that the bullet hadn't killed her and she had come back to him after a summer of recovery. No matter how mad he was at her for avoiding him during those few months, he would always find a way back to her, and forgive her almost any sin. Using just his hands, he encouraged her to turn over so he could do he same to her front. Starting at her belly button, he worked his way up, tracing every scar and mark that marred her beautiful skin. Reaching the bullet mark, he stopped and laid his head over her heart, too emotional to go any further. Sensing his turmoil, Kate stroked his hair and whispered to him that it was ok, that she was still here and wasn't going anywhere. That finally succeeded in getting through to him about ten minutes later, when he turned his head and kissed the mark thoroughly. It wasn't a sexual act though, it was an act of connection. A belief that everything would work out and they'd get through this, as they always did, together. Raising his head, he looked into her eyes, and saw the same tears in hers that we're lurking in his. Taking a deep breath, she reeled the sadness in and let the love shine through. She froze. Love? Where did that come from? She couldn't love him, not yet.

"Hey, what's going on in that beautiful head of yours?" He propped his head on his hand, gazing down at her suddenly frozen features. When she didn't immediately reply, he touched her face softly to get her attention. "Hey, talk to me, you can tell me anything."

He looked so earnest that her fears were tempered almost immediately. "It's just that I had a sudden realisation about something that startled me." He carried on just watching, waiting for her to expand on that. "It's not something I want to share just yet, Rick, but I promise that I will." She took his hand, trying to convey that she wasn't keeping secrets, she just needed more time to sort it out on her own before including another person in the conversation.

Seeing the pleading, honest, open look she was giving him, he let it go, acknowledging that it was a need for privacy, not secrecy.

"Ok Kate, whatever you need." Her kissed her hand, that she had placed on his chest during her heartfelt plea, and held it tight. Relieved that he wasn't going to push the issue, she relaxed again. Sensing the conversation was over, Castle resumed his discovery of all the nooks and crannies of Kate Beckett, this time down her arms and legs. When he got to the inside of her elbow, she giggled and flinched away. Filing it away, he moved onto her hands, studying the graceful digits that continuously put away numerous murderers and criminals. Despite the work she did, they were very soft to the touch and relatively unscathed. Smiling at the memory of her nails in his back, he saw that they were cut short, but definitely caused a lot of damage when used correctly. Finished with her body he ran his hands over her head, revelling in the glossy locks that ran through his fingers.

Closing his eyes to better study her features he traced her nose, lips, ears and eyes, committing every detail to memory for later. Finally finishing his exploration, Castle opened his eyes, and found Kate watching him with a small secretive smile on her face. She looked radiant in the early morning light coming through the window of the bedroom. Unable to resist, he leant up and kissed her tenderly. Returning the kiss, she palmed the back of his head to keep him there, intent on getting the most out of this beautiful kiss. Realising him, she found they were both out of breath. Staring in his eyes she could see the future, and, for once, it didn't scare her. She could see a long, happy life with him, filled with laughter and love. She wasn't quite ready for it, but the idea of a future with him brought her a great deal of peace. Kissing him again, she poured all of the love and lust she was feeling into it, but it wasn't enough. In one swift move she pulled him down on top of her and flipped him over.

Straddling him, she proceeded to rub her centre against his belly. Feeling his re-emerging erection poking her back, she smiled and ran her hands over his chest.

Castle lay there, stunned that suddenly he was on his back, and waited to see what Kate would do next. Watching her sitting there, in control, was a huge turn on. He knew she have a competitive nature in the outside world, so it made sense she would have one in the private world too. Placing his hands on her hips, he followed her signals. Having Castle let her take control empowered Kate to try something new. Taking his hands, she placed one on her breast and the other on her clit. Using hers, she guided him in what she wanted. He quickly understood what she desired and was able to carry on without her help. She felt her body responding quickly to his ministrations and she started undulating, trying to find some friction. Castle could feel his belly and fingers getting soaked with her juices. Unable to stand it any longer Kate removed Castle's fingers and sank down onto his erection. Not waiting to adjust, Kate started moving, grinding against him. Gripping her hips, Castle thrust up into her, topping from the bottom, which caused a spike of pleasure to roll through both of them.

Hearing her breath hitch, he did it again, going deeper this time, changing the angle of penetration slightly. She fell forward, dropping her hands onto his chest to steady her fall. His thrusts were driving her crazy, hitting that spot inside her every time, drawing her closer to release with each passing second. Seeing that she was getting close, he circled her clit, increasing the stimuli. "Let go Kate, I've got you." His husky voice went straight through her, down to her core, and she let go, shuddering violently with release. Castle watched her come, holding off his release by will alone. It was a dazzling sight, with her head thrown back, and her body spasming around his. Coming down from the high, Kate became aware of the fact that Castle was still hard inside her. Confused, she stared down at him in question. He smiled, showing her it was ok, and sat up crushing her against his chest. Kissing her hard he switched positions, keeping them joined. The change in position started aftershocks rippling through her, ramping up her arousal again. Placing her leg over his shoulder drove him deeper, causing her to gasp and flutter around him. Using his new position to his advantage, Castle started thrusting in earnest, making Kate go wild. Moving faster and harder, he brought her to the brink once again, intent on joining her this time. Unable to hold back any longer he surged into her one last time and came hard, groaning loudly and sending her over the edge for a second time. Collapsing beside her, he gathered her into his arms and planted a tired kiss on her head. Smiling sleepily, Kate kissed his chest and nuzzled into his neck, making herself comfortable. Pulling the sheets back around them, Castle was asleep within seconds. Lulled by the sound of Castle's steady breathing Kate followed suit soon after.

A shaft of sunlight illuminated the sleeping forms of Rick Castle and Kate Beckett, strong enough to warm them, but not sufficient to wake them. Neither of them awoke to the light, but they both moved closer, seeking the comfort and security of each others arms. Even in sleep they seemed to gravitate towards one another, not content to be even a few inches apart.

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**R&R**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 ****–**** Friday Morning**

Kate awoke to find her body plastered to Castle's. Even though he was extremely hot, it wasn't an uncomfortable warmth. She would be content to just stay there all day, basking in the heat and proximity afforded by being in bed with Rick Castle. Her body took that moment to speak up and she slowly and carefully untangled her arms and legs from his and, grabbing his shirt, made her way to the bathroom. Once she used the facilities, she checked her reflection in the mirror. She wasn't surprised to find she had a second, matching hickey on the other side of her neck. She blushed as she remembered exactly how it happened. Running her hands over it, she relived the entire experience, which slowly stoked the embers of arousal to a slow burn. Stepping back into the bedroom, she saw Castle had moved over to her side of the bed, automatically seeking her out, even though she wasn't there. Smiling at the sight of him, she carefully slipped back into bed, arranging herself so that she was on her side, underneath his left arm. Pillowing her head on her hand, she traced the muscles in his back with the tips of her fingers, learning his body the way he had hers. She watched as they contracted and released when her fingers passed over them, seeking to prolong the sensation. His back was flawless, marred by nothing, a reminder to the fact that he was a writer, not a cop.

Reaching his head, she ran her hands through his soft, unruly hair, chuckling quietly at the way it would bounce back, no matter how she tried to tame it. How he managed to keep it in place, looking perfect every day she didn't know, but, smirking to herself, figured she would find out soon enough. Finishing with his hair, she traced the shell of his ears, the slope of his nose and the shape of his lips, committing it all to memory for later. She watched his closely, striving to discover if he was awake or asleep. Seeing nothing to indicate he was feigning sleep, she cautiously moved lower, drawing the bed cover down as she did. Checking again that he was still out for the count, she ran her hands over his smooth, well defined butt. She definitely liked this part of him, had caught herself staring at it on more that one occasion. Reluctantly, she forced her hands to move lower, mapping out his legs. His thighs, which, as she recalled, were strong enough to hold her up, and his calves - which flinched. She whipped her head up, and saw that he was awake, barely.

"Sorry, the backs of my legs are quite ticklish." He told her, his voice rough with sleep. Shocked at being caught, Kate froze, staring at him. She waited, unsure of what to do next. Her decision was made when Castle just closed his eyes. Taking a calming breath, she resumed her game. She ran her hands over the soles of his feet and his toes, coming to the end of her journey down his back. Moving up the bed she laid down beside him, putting his arm around her waist, and her face about four inches from his. Raising her hand, she placed it on the side of Castle's face. A minute later his bright blue eyes opened and focused on her. She could read every thought going through his mind in those expressive eyes.

She dropped her eyes, not wanting to see it all. "Turn over." He immediately complied, resting his hands on his belly, just above his impressive erection. She blushed at the blatant evidence of his arousal. Starting with his feet, she repeated her examination of all his features. Reaching the tops of his thighs, she intentionally jumped up his body to his head. She heard him release a quiet whine at her sudden change of venue. She comforted him with a gentle kiss on his forehead and a whispered promise that it would be worth it. Leaning back on her hand, she ran her other one over his collarbone, and onto his arm. Picking it up from his belly, she kissed each finger once before replacing it. Wanting to use both hands, she moved and sat on the top of his legs. He started to move his hands so she scolded him, telling him to keep them where they were. Once he had replaced them, she rewarded him with a beautiful smile, which took his breath away. Putting her hands on his collarbone again she moved them in tandem, tracing his pectorals, thumbing his nipples until they formed tight peaks. Heading south she moved them towards his stomach, where his hands got in the way. Picking them both up, she raised them over his head and instructed him to keep them there.

Returning to his stomach she ran her hands around his sides, scraping her nails slightly and raising goose bumps all over him. Then she flattened her palms of his belly, absorbing the play of muscles underneath his skin. Raising her head she looked deep into his eyes, trying to show him what she was feeling, even though she didn't fully understand what was running through her head. She started to move her hands lower, towards his groin, which had a very noticeable reaction from him. She heard his swift intake of breath and felt his whole body tense for a second. Placing one hand on his chest she felt his heart start racing. Leaning down slightly, she kiss him lightly on the lips before resuming her position. Using just her fingertips, she trailed from his belly button down to his prominent erection. Not quite touching him, she went lower, lightly fondling his sac, running them over her hands and feeling the weight of them. Satisfied, she moved on to the main attraction. She ran her fingers over the sensitive underside, causing him to buck unexpectedly.

"Sorry."

"Stop apologising, Rick. It's okay." She used her index finger to spread the drop of pre-cum that had leaked out over his slit, then wrapped her hand tightly around his cock. She slowly started moving up and down, picking up on his tells, figuring out what was good for him and what calmed him down.

Pretty soon she had him panting, and thrusting wildly into her hand, getting ever closer to release.

Deciding she didn't want him to come yet, she removed her hand and pressed her thumb into the one pressure point that stopped him cold. Breathless from the torturous workout she'd given him, he stared at her in wonder. Within twenty minutes she had him all figured out, she could bring him to the brink then just as suddenly return him to a relaxed state. Proud of what she had achieved, Kate just sat there, hands on hips, with a cat that got the cream look on her face. Wanting to wipe the smirk off her face, Castle sat up quickly and, putting his arms around her waist, dragged her against his chest. She gasped in shock at the sudden move and Castle took that as an invitation to kiss the life out of her. Recovering from the unexpected change in role, Kate kissed him back just as hard. For several minutes they just traded kisses, which started out fast and hard, but slowed down, becoming slow and lazy. With their arms wrapped around each other they sat there, enjoying each others company, basking in the love they shared. Raising herself up she impaled herself on him, both of them gasping in shock at the abrupt change. Sinking all the way down, she stopped for a moment, just absorbing the feeling of such an intimate connection. Soon though she had to move, so she started slow. This was making love, slow and tender. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders, she kissed him gently.

Burying his head in her neck, Castle thrust gently into Kate, matching the pace she set and building the tension slowly. He trailed kisses up her neck, round to her ear, taking the lobe in his mouth, gently biting it.

Upping the pace, Kate ran her hands down his back, forcing him closer. Placing her hands on his shoulders, she dug her nails in, leaving crescent shaped marks after a well timed thrust on his part.

Taking that as his cue, Castle pulled her closer, adjusting the angle of penetration, drawing a low moan from her. She threw her head back, baring her neck, and thrusting her breasts into Castle's face. He took that as an invitation to take a nipple into his mouth, biting down softly, before soothing the sting with his tongue. Trailing over to the other one, he ran his tongue around the areola then suckled strongly, drawing another moan from her. She cupped the back of his head, keeping him close. He buried his head between her breasts, and she could feel his hot breath blowing down her belly to the vee in her legs, where they were joined. It added a new intensity to the experience and ratcheted up her arousal. Bucking wildly, she rubbed her clit against him in just the right way and she came, hard. He felt her inner muscles clamping down on him and it sent him over the edge. They clung to each other as aftershocks raced through the two of them. When their breathing returned to normal they shared a sweet kiss, full of love and affection.

"You are one hell of an amazing woman Kate." Castle said, softly, not wanting to disturb the contented quiet of the loft. She blushed at the compliment and looked away, straight at the clock on the bedside table.

"Shit!" He exclaimed, jumping up and pulling free of Castle at the same time. "We overslept, we're gonna be late!"

Wincing slightly at the burn caused by Kate's rapid disentanglement, Castle saw that she was right. Standing up he helped her find all her clothes, and realised that she had nothing but the dress to wear. Grabbing a pair of boxers, he headed for the study to phone his driver. He was in luck, Colin was 10 minutes away. He returned to the bedroom to find Kate in the en-suite, scrubbing her face clean.

"Kate, my driver will drop you home. He's a few minutes away so feel free to take a shower while you wait. I'll find you some spare clothing." Not waiting for a response he left the bathroom and headed for Alexis's room, knowing she was out and she'd have some clothes Kate could borrow. Finding a pair of sweats he knew were too long for his daughter, he tried looking for a t-shirt, but none of them would fit Kate. She would have to wear one of his. That stopped him short. The thought of her wearing his clothes was incredibly domestic and exceptionally sexy. He went back to see what he could find in his closet, and heard the water running in the shower. He smiled at the thought of Kate in his shower, hot water sluicing down her body as she soaped every inch of her body. Walking into his closet, he located several shirts that were tight enough on him to be a decent size for her.

Kate loved this shower, the water pressure and temperature were perfect, but she couldn't hang about. They were already really late this morning. Then she called out over the rush of water.

"Castle!"

He rushed into the room seconds later, worried that something had happened to her. "What is it? What's wrong Kate?"

"I need a little help in here. Can you join me?" She asked with a serious tone in her voice. Reacting by instinct to her commanding tone he stripped off the boxers and got in with her.

"What do you need?"

"Can you wash my back while I do my hair?" She said, holding up a bottle of shower gel and a loofah. He nodded silently and took the items from her. Turning her back on him she poured a generous amount of shampoo into her hands and started washing her hair. With her back bare, Castle soaped up the loofah and ran it down her back, taking care not to miss a single spot. Once done she turned around to rinse both at the same time and indicated to Castle to do the front as well. Not questioning his luck he scrubbed the rest of her, legs as well, as she conditioned her hair. She washed out the rest of the soap, gave him a quick kiss and a thanks and jumped out, leaving him to shower in record time. Stepping out he found her wrapped in a towel, staring at the t-shirts laid out on the bed.

"Castle, what's this?"

"Alexis doesn't have anything that would fit you, so I found some of mine that are too small for me. Help yourself, Colin will be here in a minute." Snapping out of her internal debate, she grabbed the middle one and pulled it on, followed quickly by the sweats. Running the towel over her hair, she left it to drip dry, she didn't have time for anything more. By the time she'd slipped on her coat and shoes the intercom was buzzing to let Castle know his driver was here.

"Are you ready Castle?" She asked from the living room.

He popped his head out, confused by the question. "Me?"

"Yes, you may as well come with me. We're already late, no point in wasting any more time." He agreed and hurried to put in some shoes. Two minutes later they were in the town car, heading for her place. During the ride she finger combed her hair, and put it into a lose plait, not bothering with a style today. She had no time for that. Arriving at Kate's apartment, Castle asked Colin to wait, that they wouldn't be long. Running upstairs, Kate grabbed the first items of clothing she could find and stripped off in the middle of the room, barely registering Castle's reaction. Hurrying into the bathroom, she applied her make-up within minutes, having years of practice to apply it perfectly, not forgetting to apply concealer to her neck to hide the pair of hickeys left by their uncontrollable lust for one another. No less that five minutes after they had entered the apartment, they left, racing back to the car. Luckily for them traffic was surprisingly light for this time of day and they made it to the Precinct in record time. Despite oversleeping and, ahem, other enjoyable activities, they managed to get outside at only fifteen minutes past nine. No one paid them any attention as they swiftly headed to the elevator.

She was relieved when the doors, closed sealing then in together for a minute. She moved closer, so their arms brushed and took hold of his hand. When he looked at her in question, she smiled softly, heart in her eyes and thanked him.

"What for?"

"Everything. For last night, for this morning, for just being you." They stood there, smiling at each other until the elevator signalled it had reached their floor.

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**R&R please!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 ****–**** Friday Morning Part 2**

She could do this, she could get through the day and keep her hands to herself. Exiting the elevator, she focused on the job, or tried to. With Castle practically stepping on her toes though, it was difficult. She could feel him breathing down her neck. "Castle!" She hissed.

"What?" He asked, confused by her sudden change in demeanour.

"You have to step back. If Gates finds out about us, you'll be kicked out faster that you can breathe."

Realising that he was standing far too close to go unnoticed, he took a step back. "Sorry, Kate." She

continued onto her desk, noticing that Ryan and Esposito were conspicuously absent, whilst Castle disappeared into the break room. Sitting down, she felt hollow and couldn't understand why. She was still sat there, trying to puzzle it out when Castle returned with two coffees. Placing one of them on her desk jolted her out of her thoughts and back to reality. Picking up the coffee, she smiled her thanks and took a sip. Feeling better about everything she turned to yesterday's paperwork and continued to work through it, determined to get it all finished before something else popped up.

A few hours later, Ryan and Espo returned from their latest assignment to find Kate slogging through the paperwork on her desk and Castle watching her with a smitten look on her face.

Deciding not to disturb them right away, they headed for a much needed caffeine break.

"Something's different." Espo blurted as soon as they hit the break room.

"What?" Ryan's distracted reply came from the coffee maker.

"Castle and Beckett. Something's changed between them. I mean look at them." He dragged Ryan to the window to show him what he meant. "He's staring at her with that love struck look on his face, but it's different. And she isn't scolding him for it. If you look closely you'll see she has a small smile on her face."

Ryan took another look at them, looking below the surface. There was a difference in them, a closeness that wasn't there yesterday. And Beckett was definitely smiling, even though she was doing paperwork. Castle's look could be interpreted any number of different ways. He was gazing at her with love and a barely hidden lust, when usually he was trying to hide and ignore his feelings.

"Something must have happened at the warehouse yesterday." Ryan pondered, then had a thought.

"Remember at the Old Haunt the other night? They were pretty cosy. You don't think they got together do you?"

"No bro, they can't have." He denied adamantly. "You've seen the sexual tension over the years. If they slept together last night, they wouldn't be here today. They'd still be in bed."

Ryan wasn't convinced. He believed their relationship had changed. "I don't know man."

"Look, when we go back out, see if you can feel it." Ryan turned a confused look on Espo. "The tension. If mom and dad did it, the tension will be gone, or at least muted."

"Alright." They poured the coffees and made their way to their desks, watching Castle and Beckett the entire time. Sitting down they didn't even pretend to work, just sat studying them, drinking their coffee.

They were so engrossed in what they were doing that they failed to notice they were the latest entertainment for the boys. Beckett was trying her hardest to concentrate on the words on the page, but all she could see was Castle. She knew he was staring at her, and that it wasn't his usual restrained look either. She knew he was telegraphing his inner feelings. She didn't realise that she was smiling either.

Castle knew he was wearing a love struck look on his face, and that it was visible to anyone who walked through, but he couldn't help himself. He was in love with the most beautiful, talented, amazing woman in the world. And she had let him in, let him breach her walls. He also knew that, although she had scolded him earlier, she enjoyed the attention he was giving her. He could see the secret smile on her face. Neither one had noticed that Ryan and Espo had arrived and were sat across the room watching them.

Kate finished with the form she was working on, signed it and placed it on the completed pile before looking up at Castle. Her breath caught and she froze. Seeing the look on his face was more potent than she would have believed. A flood of longing raced through Kate, flooding her body with love and lust. For a brief moment she forgot she was at the Precinct, forgot everything going on around her except for Castle.

Ryan and Espo watched as the sexual tension sky-rocketed between the couple. Leaning forward they waited for the next move.

A million thoughts raced through her head, most of them pretty lascivious, and she saw the same going on behind his eyes. Some of them involved the storage room down the hall. Thinking about the precinct reminded her of where they were and was more effective than a cold shower. Blushing slightly, she dropped her eyes and tried to go back to work. Knowing he'd made her uncomfortable, he took out his phone, hoping a game would prove to be a distraction.

Espo and Ryan sat back, disappointed. "Guess you were right man."

"Yeah s'pose so." Espo had hoped he was wrong, that they had slept together, but it was clear nothing had changed in that regard. Having discovered all they could, they turned to their desks and their own piles of paperwork.

It wasn't working. She couldn't concentrate. He was too close, she needed - she didn't know what she needed. Grabbing her coffee cup, she made her way to the break room, hoping some space would clear her head. Putting her cup on the counter, she leant against it and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to steady herself.

Castle looked up from losing his twelfth game in a row to find Kate gone. Looking around her saw the top of her head over to coffee machine. He also saw Ryan and Espo at their desks, wading though paperwork and checking details on the computer. He took the opportunity to sneak away and join Kate. He found her with her head bent and her eyes closed. Not wanting to disturb her he hovered just inside the doorway.

"You can come in Castle." She said, without raising her head.

"How did you know I was here?" He walked over to join her, careful to maintain a sensible distance.

Looking up, she took a step towards him, trapping him against the table. "I seem to have developed a sixth sense with you." She whispered. "Even though I couldn't see you, I could feel you."

Castle looked around, worried that someone might see them, but he needn't have bothered. They were fairly well hidden where they were, and no one was even looking their way.

"What are you worried about, Castle?" She breathed, leaning in close, violating the protocol she put in place when they arrived. "We're quite secluded here, no one's coming in here." Staring into her eyes, he saw that she didn't seem to care if they were discovered here. She was looking at him with lust in her eyes, and they couldn't do anything it here, at her workplace.

"Kate, we can't do this here," He put his hands on her waist, powerless to keep himself from touching her. She returned the gesture, placing her hands on his upper arms, feeling the muscles bunching underneath as he flexed his fingers.

"I know, but I can't seem to help myself right now. Having you so close and not being able to touch you is torture. I can't concentrate on anything but you." She leaned in, wanting to kiss him, but he pulled back.

"Not here, let's go to lunch." He pulled away and checked outside the break room. Seeing the coast was clear, he lead the way out and headed for the stairs. Beckett returned to her desk for a minute, dropping off her empty mug, then called to the boys that she was heading out for lunch. They acknowledged her with a wave, but didn't raise their heads. Feeling slightly guilty for taking a break, she decided to grab them something on the way back.


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: More smut. **

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**Chapter 12 ****–**** Friday Afternoon**

She met Castle in the lobby, and they headed out. "Where are we going?" She asked as they headed down the street.

"I know this little out of the way place where privacy is paramount." He hurried onwards, intent on reaching the bistro quickly. "It's just around the corner."

"So close? How can you be sure there aren't any cops there?" She was a little worried that someone else knew about it, being that it was within walking distance of the precinct.

"There won't be, even if they know about it, it's not the kind of establishment that's conducive to a cops idea of lunch." He reached the corner and stopped, pointing to the well hidden sign for No 47. "Here we are."

"Wow, I never knew this was here." She looked closer, studying the building.

"It's extremely intimate, filled with private booths and low lighting. Perfect for us right now." He had stepped closer whilst she wasn't paying attention, speaking in a low tone in her ear.

Aware that they were exposed on the street, Kate stepped away, trying to maintain some distance.

"Sounds perfect. Shall we go in?"

"Sure." Castle lead her in with a hand on her back, unable and unwilling to lose contact, no matter how fleeting. Just inside they door they were met by a young man in a three piece suit who introduced himself as Gabriel.

"Welcome to No 47. What kind of experience are you looking for this fine day?"

"We want privacy and intimacy, and your snack menu please." Castle told him, clearly familiar with the state of play.

"Very good, sir. I have just the room for you. If you'll follow me." He turned around, picked up two menus and walked up the stairs. Kate looked and Castle, confused. Why were they going upstairs when the dining room was clearly through a door behind them? He just smiled sweetly and encouraged her to follow Gabriel. At the top of the stairs, Kate could see a long hallway, filled with closed doors named after animals of all types. She followed the maître'd to the end of the hall, with Castle hot on her heels, to a door marked 'Swan'. He opened it and let them inside.

"Here we are sir and ma'am. The Swan suite, for those who mate for life and never lose the spirit of romance." He handed them the menus. "When you're ready to order just pick up the phone by the window and it will put you through to the kitchen." Castle nodded, and tipped the man on his way out. The young man graciously accepted it and closed them in.

Kate took her first look around the room, and was stunned at the décor. "Castle, this is beautiful."

There was a gorgeous oak tabled set up on the left side of the room, with the lunch accoutrements already laid out. In the right corner was a small, cushy love-seat, just big enough for two, in the shape of a swan and the aforementioned table and phone set up by the window. There was also a small fridge, which she opened to reveal several bottles of wine, some beers and some soft drinks. "It certainly is everything you said it was, Rick." Turning around swiftly, she pinned him against the door, kissing him hotly and desperately, like she couldn't have held on any longer. Kissing her back like she was the very air he needed to survive, Castle reversed their positions and held her against the door. He trailed his hands down her sides, feeling every curve and beautifully toned muscle underneath his palms. Gripping her thigh he put it around his waist, both of them groaning loudly at the frisson of pleasure that shot through them both. No matter how many times they did this, it always felt like the first time and there was always something new. Kate threw her head back, hitting the door with it as she rode the arousal growing swiftly through her body. Not one to miss an opportunity, Castle headed for her neck, trailing soft kisses up to her ear.

Kate couldn't hold out, she was too turned on.

"Castle, I need you, now." She breathed into his ear. Recognising her plea for release, he put her down and turned her to face the door. Placing her hands on the door by her head, she undid her jeans, and dropped both them and her underwear. With one hand he undid his trousers enough to spring his erection and with the other he dove for her clit, testing her readiness for him. She was dripping, and more than ready. Not wasting another second he drove in to the hilt, pressing her fully against the door. Pausing to allow her to adjust, he brushed a few loose tendrils of hair away form her face and kissed her cheek.

Clenching her inner muscles to signal she wanted him to move, Kate placed a palm on his cheek to keep him there. Feeling she needed more, Castle set a fast, punishing rhythm, knowing neither one could hold out for long. Within minutes, Kate was coming apart around him, fluttering around his erection, which triggered his own orgasm. Crying out in release, Castle emptied himself into Kate, then collapsed against her and kept their bodies joined. When their breathing returned to normal, Castle reluctantly slipped free of Kate's welcoming body and tucked himself away. On shaky legs, Kate attempted to pull her jeans back up. Seeing her unsuccessful effort, Castle gently pushed her hands away and bent to slide the clothing back up and into position. After buttoning her jeans, he promptly picked her up and carried her to the couch. Placing her gently on the love-seat, he kissed her forehead and went to pick up the forgotten menus from the floor.

Retrieving a bottle of water from the fridge, he sat down next to Kate and handed her the bottle. Grateful for the cooling beverage after their enthusiastic romp, Kate took a hearty sip, before handing it to Castle. Taking a menu she perused the offerings, glad to see there was nothing too heavy on the list. Deciding between them on the finger buffet, Castle made the call then returned to Kate. Happy and sated, she leant her head on his shoulder and basked in the afterglow. Smiling at this new, cuddly Kate, Castle put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. They stayed that way until the waiter arrived with their lunch. Castle answered the door and let him in. Putting their selection on the table, the waiter left quickly, giving the couple the privacy they asked for. On the way out Castle tipped the man. Standing, Kate made her way to the table to peruse the assortment of food placed before them. She was also glad to see the carafe of coffee and that was her first stop. Pouring a cup for them both, she took a small sip and sighed in pleasure. Castle joined her at the table and, in a gentlemanly fashion, pulled out a chair for her. Smiling at his chivalry, Kate took the proffered seat. After sitting down, Castle removed the lids on the plates to reveal a choice of bread, meats and cheeses on one, savoury bites and crisps on another and biscuits, fruit and cakes on the last. Seeing the mouth-watering array of food in front of her, Kate was suddenly starving.

Castle watched as Kate gazed at the food with barely concealed hunger. "Tuck in Kate, I know you're hungry." Switching her gaze to Castle, it took a moment for his words to sink in. He nodded towards the food. "Ladies first." Taking a bit of everything from the first two plates, Kate dug in. Even though it was just basics, it tasted like heaven to Kate.

Making himself a turkey sandwich, Castle watched Kate enjoying her food. He was glad she wasn't one of those women obsessed with their figure, who ate nothing and moaned that they were fat. He'd had enough of that from Meredith and Gina. It was a nice change to love a woman who was happy as she was and loved her food as much as he did. Of course, no matter what she ate or what she looked like, he would always love her.

'Castle sure knows how to treat a girl'. Kate thought as she bit into a succulent strawberry. There were definitely perks to being with Richard Castle. His taste in restaurants and his ability to find these places was amazing. She was also seeing a whole other side to him. The side of Richard Rodgers, son of the Broadway actress Martha Rodgers. The part of him kept hidden from the public eye, the man who doesn't use his fame and notoriety to wrangle the last table at the most famous restaurant in town, but instead chooses mom and pop cafés, and out of the way restaurants. It made her want to discover more about that side of him, see what else he's kept locked away over the years.

Between them they managed to polish about half of their lunch, finding that, despite being starving after their quickie, there was still too much left. Sitting back, feeling full as well as sated, Kate studied Castle over the rim of her coffee cup. For once he was paying attention to something other than her and it gave her the opportunity to check him out unobserved. He really was very handsome, a great catch and she wondered, not for the first time, why he was fixated on her. Never in her wildest dreams had she ever hoped to meet him, let alone end up as his muse and lover. All the time she spent reading his books, using them as an escape from the tragic loss of her mother, hadn't prepared her for the man behind the words.

He checked his watch. "We should get going, the lunch hour is almost up." Draining his cup, he stood and held out his hand to Kate. Taking it he pulled her up, a little more forceful than expected and she crashed into his chest. He kissed her thoroughly, tasting of coffee and chocolate and robbing her of breath. By the time she had recovered he was at the door, waiting for her with a bemused smile on his face. Shaking herself, and trying to regain some sense, she started towards him when she remembered her promise to herself to get something for the boys. Turning back towards the table she started gathering up the remaining food onto one plate.

"Can we take this with us? I felt really guilty running out on the boys whilst they carried on with paperwork."

"Of course, I'll get Gabriel to box it up downstairs." He took the plate from her and helped load it up with the remnants of their meal. After paying and collecting the box of leftovers, Castle stole another quick kiss - "to tide me over until later" and they left, heading back down the street to feed the boys.

Walking into the bullpen three minutes later they found the boys right where they left them, only the pile sizes had changed. Approaching their desks, she offered them the box, telling them to take a break and eat. Not needing to be told twice, they immediately headed for the break room, lunch in hand. Sitting at her desk, Kate found a message from CSU stating that they had thoroughly documented everything and it was all in evidence, awaiting test results. She sat back, slightly disappointed. This was always the worst part of the job, waiting for lab results, or prints, or forensics reports, so they could make the next move, when they had exhausted all other avenues. Sighing to herself over the lack of evidence of a suspect, she started to order the papers on her desk, piling up reports and statements into the relevant folders and setting aside documents she was working on for later. Concentrating wholly on the mini project she failed to notice that Castle was once again staring at her.

In the break room, Espo and Ryan were enjoying the snack lunch Beckett brought back for them.

"Mmm, this is so good. "Ryan said, around a mouthful of pastrami sandwich. "Better than anything I've had before."

Espo had decided on something slightly different from the selection in front of them. Taking a handful of salted crisps he crushed them between two pieces of bread and took a large bite. "What?" He asked, when he saw the repulsed look on Ryan's face.

"Dude, that's gross."

"How can you say that? Have you ever tried a crisp sandwich?"

"No, and I don't want to." Ryan hurried to add, knowing Espo would ask.

"You don't know what you're missing bro." He returned to his sandwich, polishing it off in three quick bites. Ryan just shook his head at his friend. They managed to eat all the remaining food in short order, and sat for a moment with their drinks before they had to return to work.

"Where do you suppose they got this from? There's no logo on the box and I've never seen this design before." Ryan said, studying the non descript box, with it's simple geometric design.

"I don't know bro. There aren't many places around here that serve that kind of food, and they weren't gone all that long." Espo racked his brain, mapping out the surrounding few blocks, categorizing the cafés, bars and restaurants in the area, and drawing a blank. "We should get back to work." They got up, cleared the table off and headed out to complete the mountain of paperwork that was still waiting for them. Glancing at Beckett's desk they weren't surprised to find them in their usual position. Beckett was sifting through all the papers relating to the latest case, sorting them into piles by the look of it. And Castle was alternating between watching her and playing on his phone. Espo threw a 'told you so' look at Ryan who just shrugged and sat down, picking up the next form.

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**What do you think?**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 ****–**** Friday Evening**

A few hours later, they eventually managed to get through the paperwork and get it set aside in boxes for when they next needed it. Needing to stretch her legs, Beckett headed for the break room, needing a caffeine fix. Standing by the window, waiting for the coffee to brew, she watched the boys in the bull pen. They were laughing and joking about something, just blowing off steam after a long day chained to a desk. Gathered around the murder board as they were, she realised that he belonged there, with them, solving murders and providing some light-hearted humour when the situation became too much for them. If he were to leave she would feel lost, and she believed the boys would too, even though they'd never say it. The same went with her personal life. If he were to disappear, it would devastate her. She never had any fun until he came along. He made everything more enjoyable and brought light and laughter into her life. She didn't ever want to go back to the dark place she was in when her mom died, she wanted to move past it and have a happy future, filled with love, laughter and maybe a few kids. She just wasn't ready for that yet, and didn't know when she would be. She wanted Castle, had for a long time, but had spent most of it denying her feelings. Now that they had slept together, she knew he would probably want more, and she didn't know how much she could give him. Suddenly he looked over, straight at her, as if he could feel her eyes on him, and she felt an undeniable pull to just run outside and jump into his arms. The world stopped, nothing else mattered but him. His attention was ripped from Kate's hot stare by Ryan's indignant exclamation and the connection shattered. Turning around so she had her back to them, Kate fought to maintain her composure. It was becoming increasingly difficult to resist him and she was seriously debating the merits of dragging him by his shirt collar into the storage room, or the elevator, even the women's bathroom was looking good. She really hoped they managed to work past this need soon, as it would be extremely embarrassing if it happened at the wrong moment. Or if they got caught here at the Precinct. When her heart rate and breathing had returned to normal she poured her coffee and wrapped her hands around it, inhaling the familiar scent.

"Hey, you ok?" Came a question from the doorway.

"Yeah, Ryan. I'm fine. It's just been a really frustrating day. No new leads, mountains of paperwork. I just hope tomorrow turns out to be more productive, on the case front, than today was." She smiled, resting against the counter.

"Me too." He agreed with her, it had been too quiet for them today. "Hopefully we'll hear from Javi's friend in the lab in the morning. He had no luck today, tests weren't complete when he rang her earlier."

"What about the list of building materials? Any luck tracking them down."

"No, complete bust. A company called Sunrise Construction reported a break-in and theft at one of their sites a few years back. The stolen goods match the materials used to make the 'doorway' The case was never solved." He looked apologetically at her.

"Another dead end." She sighed, getting more and more annoyed with this case as the hours went on. "Thanks anyway Ryan. It was worth a shot."

Rejoining Espo by the murder boards they took yet another look, hoping for inspiration to strike. Between the four of them they rechecked every witness statement, re-read every report and basically rewrote each murder on the back of the opposite board and compared them, looking for inconsistencies and changes. Espo and Ryan took the male and Castle and Beckett took the female victim's boards. Checking closely they found one small difference between the 'old' and 'new' boards.

"Hey guys, there's an additional detail here on this board."

"We got one too." Espo and Ryan joined them on their side and immediately saw it. "That's the same one we got."

"Who wrote it up here?" She asked the group at large.

"I did." Came Castle's reply from behind them. He handed Beckett a steaming mug.

"Thanks." She took a sip, relishing the taste. "Where did you find it?"

"Buried in the witness statements from the crime scenes. Both of our vic's were posed in exactly the same way." He pointed to the pictures on the board, where it was clear he was correct. "And if you look closely you can just about see the circle surrounding them." They stepped closer, squinting at the photo's, trying to see what he'd seen. "Here, use this." He handed Beckett his phone with the magnification app open.

Running it over the first vic's crime scene photo she could see a faint purple circle surrounding the vic. Moving over to the other vic, she did the same, and found that the grass was tinged slightly purple in what was obviously the remnants of a circle.

"How did we miss that?" She asked, studying the design.

"When the first on scene questioned them they wrote it down but failed to add it to the official

report. I don't know why." Castle explained.

"We should check out all the crime scene photos, see if anything else was found and not reported."

They moved over to the boxes they had not long ago finished organising and dragged out the photos from both scenes. They headed into the tech office for more space and laid them all out on the table to study. Ryan dug up some magnifying glasses from who knew where and they studied every inch of the pictures, looking for the smallest detail add to the non-existent file on the perp. They started one at each corner of the table and moved left, checking each line of photos then piling them up next to them to indicate they had been checked.

A long while later there were 4 piles of photos and 4 mentally exhausted people sat in the chairs.

"Did you find anything?" Beckett asked, hoping someone did. A chorus of no's came back to her. Closing her eyes, she laid her head back, trying to ease the ache forming between her eyes. "Alright. It's getting late, lets pick this up tomorrow. I know it's tedious but I want us to swap piles with someone else and check their photos." Groaning after being bent over all afternoon they packed everything away, clearly labelled for the morning.

"Night, Beckett." Espo and Ryan said in unison, too tired to realise they spoke simultaneously. They left quickly, hoping to get out of the Precinct before anything else happened.

"Hey, Kate. Do you want to come back to my place?" Castle asked her quietly, hoping for the company this evening.

"I'd love to Castle, but I'm tired and I just want to sleep." Came her reply.

"Same here, Kate, but I don't want to be alone tonight. Please, I'll order in and you can soak in my tub." That was an offer she couldn't refuse, so she agreed, looking forward to climbing into the large tub she'd seen that morning.

They got on the elevator and Kate lay her head on Castle's shoulder. She was exhausted, both mentally and physically and she couldn't hold up the pretence any longer. She just wanted to melt into his arms and let him soothe away the aches and pains of the day. Castle didn't know what to do, Kate was attempting to cling to him whilst they were still at the Precinct where anyone could get on with them at any time. Looking down he noticed that her eyes were closed and she was smiling. Not wanting to disturb her he slowly and carefully extracted his arm and put it around her shoulder, pulling into the shelter of his arms. She sighed contentedly and snuggled closer, accepting the comfort. All too soon the doors opened though, and Kate roused enough to untangle herself from Castle and led the way outside.

Hailing a cab, they made their way down-town to his loft. Luckily for him, Martha was out with her acting group and Alexis had decided to go to the pictures with the girls, so they had to loft to themselves for a while. Letting them in he told Kate to make herself comfortable while he ordered Chinese. She kicked off her shoes by the door and hung her coat in the closet. Glad to be out of the shoes, she scrunched her toes in the carpet underneath, relishing the softness of it. Walking into the kitchen she set the coffee maker going, selecting the Colombian blend from his large selection of beverages. She felt at home here right now, just her and Castle, but knew that they weren't the only ones who lived here. He had a mother and a daughter to take care of as well. Hearing his return, she bustled about gathering mugs and all the fixings for coffee so that by the time he joined her all she was waiting for was the coffee. He wrapped his arms around her waist and just held her, wanting to just soak in her nearness. He buried his head in her neck, enjoying the faint scent of his soap that lingered on her skin.

Kate was surprised by the neediness of his hug. There was nothing sexual about it, it was all about touch and connection. She found that she liked it, whereas in the past, she had hated to be cuddled and trapped in another guys arms. Placing one hand on his arm and the other in his hair she closed her eyes and just enjoyed it. Soon the smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the air and Kate attempted to disentangle from him. He didn't want to let her go, so she just made the coffee around him, adding cream and sugar to his and leaving hers black.

"Do you think you could let me go, Rick?"

"No," Came his mumbled reply from her neck. "I like it here."

"But don't you want your coffee before it gets cold." She teased, wafting it under his nose.

Powerless to resist her teasing he released one hand and gently took the mug from her. Taking a sip he found out that she knew exactly how he liked his coffee, and had made it perfectly.

"How did you know how I like my coffee? I've never told you." He asked, curious to discover how.

"I'm a detective, Rick. I detect, I notice things." She replied coyly, turning around and dislodging his other hand. Standing there in the kitchen, a hairs breadth between them, they drank their coffee, just staring into each other's eyes.

Their connection was broken by the sound of a knock on the door. "That'll be dinner." Castle said, reluctant to move and answer the door.

Seeing his reluctance, Kate slipped free and headed for the door, knowing he would follow close behind. She took the food from the delivery boy whilst Castle paid him. She set it out on the kitchen counter and took a seat. In a surprise move, Castle didn't sit next to her, but sat opposite instead. After throwing him a questioning glance, which he ignored, she helped herself to her favourite. They spent dinner trading hot glances and intentional touches, each working the other to a steady hum of arousal. When they finished, Castle excused himself and headed for the bedroom. Kate gathered up the remnants and tossed them in the trash and put the mugs in the sink. A few minutes later and he still hadn't returned, so she went to find him. He wasn't in the bedroom, but the bathroom door was shut and locked.

"Castle, you ok in there?" She shouted through the door.

"Yes, Kate, I'm fine. I'll be out in a minute." Came his muted reply.

"Ok." She stayed in the bedroom, walking around, admiring the paintings and knick-knacks he had lying around. He certainly liked to collect odds and ends. They were everywhere. The sound of a lock releasing had her turning around. She found Castle standing there with a candle in his hand. "Castle?"

He didn't say anything, but walked up to her and took her hand. "Close your eyes." She looked at him sceptically. "Humour me." Deciding to trust him, she did as asked and waited. He placed the candle in her hands and got behind her, taking her elbows. "Walk forward." They shuffled in the direction of the bathroom. At the threshold he told her to stop. He released her and stepped back.

"Open your eyes."

She did and was met by a gorgeous sight. The bathroom was full of candlelight and the tub full of bubbles. It was the scene right out of her dream, right down to the scent of lavender in the humid air. She spun around and stared, agape, at Castle. "Rick, this is beautiful. How?"

"I know today has been unproductive and the strain of bending over photos all afternoon has left you with back and neck ache. I just want to soothe those away. Afterwards, if you'd like, I can give you a massage to thoroughly loosen all those tense muscles."

"You don't have to do that. This bath is more than enough." She kissed him softly, trying to pour her

thanks into it and tell him what she couldn't say. Pulling back he stepped away. "I'll leave you alone."

She grabbed his sleeve, preventing his departure. "Stay, please. I don't want to be alone."

"Ok, if you're sure." She nodded vigorously, cementing his decision. Quickly shedding their clothes Castle got in first, settling against the back of the tub. Once situated he held out his hand for Kate to climb in in front of him. Sighing in pleasure at the heat on her tired muscles, she relaxed for the first time that evening, letting the hot water do it's magic. He put his arms around her waist, settling them on her belly and laid his head back against the rim of the tub. They stayed that way for a long time, past when the water started to cool and their skin started to prune. Rousing herself, Kate found the water almost cold. Shivering at the temperature she woke Castle, who had actually dropped off.

"Ooh, that's cold." He said, helping her stand and get out before moving as well. Grabbing two towels he wrapped one around her and the other around his waist. After pulling the stopper out he led them to the bedroom and, after drying off, tucked them into bed. They were too tired for much, so Castle just wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close and they fell asleep within seconds.

Alexis returned from the pictures to find Kate's shoes and coat in the closet and her father's bedroom door closed, but no sounds emerging. Thankful for the silence she hurried upstairs to bed. She was happy that her dad and Kate had managed to sort through things, but she didn't want to accept it. Not after her break-up not so long ago. She was still wary of Kate and her motives. She didn't want to see her dad get hurt again. He deserved to be happy. She just didn't know if Kate was the one for him. She had watched them these last few years and Kate had dated other men, whilst leaving Castle to pine after her. She hoped that Kate was ready for him and his eccentricities, and that she wouldn't just use him and throw him away. Alexis knew that he felt deeply for her, she really hoped Kate understood that and didn't break her father's heart. She had a sneaky suspicion that if Kate rejected him now, he would never recover.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14 ****–**** Saturday Morning**

The next morning Martha breezed into the loft, ready to head up to bed, but stopped short at the sight of a pair of shoes by the door. They definitely didn't belong to Alexis, but they did look like something Kate would wear. Kate! She head shot up and towards her son's closed bedroom door. She wondered, had they finally got together, after 4 years of denial? All of a sudden she wasn't tired any more. Heading to the kitchen she poured herself a cup of coffee, still warming in the pot, and took a seat to wait.

Kate's alarm went off at 7, telling her it was time to get up, go to work. She slapped it off, not wanting to move from the cocoon of warmth she found herself in. Settling back she turned over to face the man in bed with her. He looked so young and boyish in sleep, with no worries (not that he had any anyway), or troubles to bother him. Leaning in she kissed him awake, watching as he slowly rose from the depths of slumber. When his bright blue eyes opened she forgot to breathe again, they really were breathtaking those eyes. She could drown in them, watch the play of emotions in them all day. Unfortunately at that moment her phone rang. She reached around for it and hit answer.

"Beckett. Ok, thanks. Text me the address." She hung up with that look in her eye.

"We got another one." Castle assumed correctly. Her phone pinged, signalling the arrival of a text.

When she nodded he threw the covers back and headed for the shower, unashamedly naked. "You comin?" He asked, pausing to look back at her.

She shook herself from her admiration of his well defined butt and followed him into the bathroom. After taking a quick shower Kate realised she had no fresh clothes and no make-up. She couldn't arrive at a crime scene looking like that, she would get slaughtered by the guys, and especially Lanie. Relaying that to Castle he smiled, telling her not to worry, he'd sort something out. Pulling on a dressing gown she followed him back into the bedroom and waited while he dressed. Stepping into the living room they were unaware they were being watched. They were halfway to the stairs when they realised they were no longer alone.

"Morning kiddo."

"Morning dad." They reversed direction and headed for the kitchen instead to brew more coffee as the pot they made last night was now empty.

"Morning Alexis, Morning mother." He gave them both a kiss on the cheek on his way past. "It's good that you two are here actually. We have a crime scene to get to and Kate doesn't have any clean clothes here. Can either of you help her out?" He eyed them both, hoping they would accept Kate being here this morning.

"Sure, dad. We'll find her something." Alexis stood up, grabbing both Martha and Kate and pulling them upstairs. Castle watched them go, hoping they were going to be nice and not interrogate her over her intentions. He loved Kate almost as much as he loved his mother and daughter, and with the relationship being so new, he didn't want to scare her off. Sipping his coffee in silence he waited for the women of the house to return.

Upstairs Martha had grabbed her make-up case and some surprisingly demure clothes from her closet and met them in Alexis's room. "Here, Katherine, try these. I bought them when I was trying to attract this stuffy old man and didn't want to scare him off with my loud personality." Taking them, Kate went into the bathroom to try them on.

They were a perfect fit, and were sensible enough for work. Returning to the bedroom, she thanked Martha, who waved it off, glad that they were eventually getting used. "Keep them my dear, I don't need them any more. Now make-up. What do you need?" Kate pointed out what she usually wore and in no time she was ready. She was mortified when she asked for their help in covering up the hickeys.

"What are your intentions towards my dad?" Alexis blurted out, unable to wait any longer.

Kate was taken aback by the girl's bluntness and it took a minute for her to recover.

"Alexis, darling, now's not the time." Martha jumped in, seeing the look on Kate's face.

"No, Martha, it's alright." She sat down on the bed, inviting Alexis to do the same. "I'll be straight with you Alexis. I don't know what's going on between your father and I. It only happened yesterday and I haven't had time to sit back and think about it. And I won't. Not until this case is over at least. Whatever happens I don't want to lose your dad. He means too much to me to throw it all away on a fling. He's my best friend, Alexis. I don't want to hurt him. I don't know what's going on between us, or what the future holds. I don't even know what I want out of this relationship, if that's what it is. It's not something that's going to be decided today or even tomorrow. But I do know this, your father and I have so much history between us. I would hope that we could work through anything the world throws at us."

Alexis absorbed that, slightly shocked at the intensity of Kate's speech. It made her feel a little better about the situation, knowing that Kate wasn't going to intentionally hurt her father. "OK, I can understand that. But what about his fame. You know that's going to affect things, don't you?"

"I hope we can deal with that when the time comes. For the time being at least, we want to keep this quiet. So far, you two are the only ones who know, and we'd like to keep it that way. If Gates found out, Castle and I wouldn't be able to work together any more, and I know we could both hate that. We've got something special at the Precinct, and he is, on occasion, a tremendous help when solving cases. I don't want to lose that at all." She told them both, hoping they would understand and keep it between them.

"So Lanie, Ryan and Esposito don't know?" Alexis asked.

"No, and we'd like to keep it that way. It's too new a relationship to have to deal with the ribbing we'd receive. I, at least, just want to enjoy this for now, and see where it goes."

Seeing they were both mulling things over, Kate waited, hoping and praying they'd be ok about it. She didn't want to come between them or cause problems. When they both agreed, she let out the breath she didn't realise she'd been holding. "Thank you both. I'll do my best not to disappoint you or hurt Castle." She directed that last statement at Alexis, knowing it was her she'd have to convince. Alexis understood what Kate was trying to say and hoped she could believe her.

"Ok, Kate. Promise me you won't hurt him."

"I promise Alexis." With her little interrogation over, Alexis stood, saying she had to get ready for school. Martha made an unusually quiet exit, leaving the younger women to bond. "Oh, and Alexis, if you ever want to talk, y'know woman to woman, I'm here." The younger girl thanked her for her offer, not certain she'd take her up on it, but glad for the chance anyway.

Kate left the room, making her way downstairs where, she was sure a fretful Castle awaited. She wasn't wrong. Stopping just out of his sight, she watched as he paced back and forth between the office and the kitchen. She smiled, touched by his concern and continued down.

"You'll wear a hole in the floor doing that." He spun around and hurried over, enveloping her in a giant hug.

"Are you ok?" He asked when he pulled back slightly.

"Yes, Castle I'm fine. We worked it all out, and Alexis understands what's happening. You really don't need to worry. I can handle your daughter's interrogation and your mother's protectiveness. Everything is good." She reassured him, telling him with both words and body language that she was ok with it all.

Seeing in her eyes that she was happy and pleased, he accepted her word as truth. Releasing her he took a step back and got a good look at what she was wearing.

"Where did they find this? Mother would never wear anything so plain and these would never fit Alexis."

"Martha had them. She said she was trying to seduce a stuffy guy and thought the clothes would work." He scrunched up his face, not wanting to picture his mother with other men in any way, shape or form. Shaking his head to clear it, he realised they'd been standing around too long and grabbed his coat and keys, helping Kate into hers after she stepped into her shoes. Standing up straight with her he smiled. He liked the fact that she was nearly as tall as him with shoes on, it made it easier to kiss her. So he did just that. Kate was taken aback when Castle leaned in and kissed her quick.

He leaned over, and breathed in her ear. "Just because I can." Then turned around and opened the door for her.

Two could play at that game. She gave him a saucy smile and strutted out of the loft to the elevator. Getting on she positioned herself slightly behind him. She waited until the elevator reached the bottom and dinged, then pinched his bottom and walked out, acting like nothing had happened.

'Oh, that's how it's gonna be is it?' He thought to himself, liking the new, playful Kate Beckett. Hailing a cab, he purposefully waited in her personal space, brushing the side of her breast as he dropped his arm. She gasped at the light touch which had her nipples pebbling instantly and glanced sharply at him. His too innocent look gave him away and she smirked evilly. On the cab ride Kate though up ways to torture him, whilst still maintaining a professional air.

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**R&R please.**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15 ****–**** Saturday Morning Part 2**

Their arrival at the crime scene in a cab together didn't go unnoticed by their friends. Seeing their expressions, Kate rolled her eyes at them. "What have we got Lanie?"

"Female, Caucasian, late 40's. I'd estimate TOD at between ten and twelve last night. No visible cause of death." The medical examiner told them, giving Kate a significant look as she stood.

Looking around she saw the boys giving them identical looks. "What?"

"Girl, you better explain why you and Castle arrived together in a cab, a good hour after Esposito called you."

"I took a cab home last night. I was too tired to drive and when I got the call and saw where it was, I decided it was easier to pick him up on the way." That seemed to satisfy them and they returned to the body.

"Vic's name is Amanda Webster, 48. Address in SoHo." Espo stopped, thinking about that. "Did any of you notice that the first vic lived in Tribeca. And now this vic is from SoHo."

"So they lived not far from myself and Castle. I'm not sure if it's relevant, but it's definitely interesting. Make a note of it, and we'll keep our eyes open." Beckett told him.

"As you wish." Was Espo's response as he wrote it down.

"No sign of any coloured powder on her, but if you look closely you can see flecks of purple on the ground." Ryan pointed to the nearly invisible circle.

"So it's the same person." Kate mused. "Make sure CSU get photo's and samples of it. If it is related, I want to know what it is." With that she moved off, leaving the boys to get it all organised. She stood off to the side and studied the onlookers and the location.

Castle watched as Beckett stood alone, observing the area in silence, taking in the details. Lanie prepped the body for transport and the boys talked to uniforms, setting up a canvass and taking statements. They were like a well oiled machine, one that never failed to discover the truth and give closure to the families. One that he was proud to be a part of.

Finished with her inspection of the crime scene, Kate returned to the boys to discuss what happens next.

"Ryan, check for security cameras, there should be a fair few around, given the affluent nature of the area. Maybe it'll give us something." He turned to Espo. "Espo, make sure we've got pictures of the crowd, and find out if there were any taken at the other crime scenes."

"You think our perp's been watching." he asked, taking notes.

"I'm positive. He's been keeping up with our investigation, managing to stay one step ahead of us at all times. It's time we turned the tables on him." He nodded and walked off, talking to a tech, arranging for photos to be taken surreptitiously. She turned to Castle. "We should head back to the precinct, talk to her family."

Remembering she didn't have a car she swore softly. They'd have to hail a cab again. Seeing her annoyance Castle immediately put in a call to Colin and discovered that, again, he was close by. "Not to worry Beckett, Colin is just up the road on an errand. He can drop us off on his way uptown." They headed for the street, side by side, trying to maintain a little distance, but finding it difficult to resist small touches or brushes against each other. Only because of the nearness of their colleagues did they succeed. Anywhere else and it would be a whole different story. By the time they got to the end of the block, a black town car pulled up along side them and Colin got out. He opened the door for them, and Castle let Kate get in first. Castle put the divider up to give them some measure of privacy during the trip uptown. Grateful for his thoughtfulness, Kate scooted over and laid her head on his shoulder, needed to feel connected to him, no matter how small that may be. He dropped his head on top of hers and took her hand in his, also needing to feel close to her.

She sighed, heavily. "I want this case to be over. It's bugging me that there's no evidence linking us to a suspect. That we don't even have a suspect. There are three victims now and were no closer to solving it than we were two days ago."

"You'll solve this, Kate. I have no doubt. He'll slip up soon enough and you'll have him. All we need is one piece of evidence to lead us in the right direction." She raised her head and saw the absolute conviction in his face. He truly believed she would figure it out and solve the case. She only hoped she didn't disappoint him. He squeezed her hand in reassurance and offered her a warm smile. That was all it took to renew her confidence, and she chose, there and then, to solve it. If not for the victims, then for him and his unending belief in her.

Reaching the Precinct she jumped out before Colin could open the door and walked in with purpose, intent on finally discovering the truth.

"Mr Webster, I'm so sorry for your loss." Kate said softly to the extremely distraught young man. "Can you think of anyone who'd want to hurt your mother?"

He sniffled and wiped his tears before answering. "No, she was the sweetest person in the world. Always helping others with whatever they needed. She didn't deserve to die."

Kate placed a hand over his, offering compassion. "What has she been doing lately?"

"She's a consultant, match-maker, lawyer. Basically whatever you need she finds a way to deliver. Her latest job was a couple from Brooklyn who wanted help finding her real parents. It worked out really well. There was a happy reunion just last week."

"Were any of her clients unhappy with her services at all?" She asked, hoping for a lead.

"No, she hasn't had a case turn out bad in years. But that was eventually settled with both parties getting what they wanted."

"Has there been anyone new in her life recently, anyone not a client I mean."

"There has been a woman hanging around outside her office these last few weeks, but she could have been there for anyone."

"Do you know what she looked like?" She sat forward, hoping her suspicions we're correct.

"I only caught a glimpse when I stopped in for lunch one afternoon, but she was about 5 feet ten, long dark brown hair, wearing a full length blue coat with fur around the neck." Kate shared a look with Castle and suddenly remembered his reaction the first time. She made a note on the pad in front of her in bold to talk to him about it afterwards.

"Did you see her face?"

He shook his head. "Sorry Detective."

Deciding to conclude the interview there she stood, offering condolences again, along with her card.

"If you see her again or remember anything else, please give me a call." He nodded and was escorted out by a uniform.

Kate headed for break room, which was thankfully empty and shut them in. "Ok Castle, spill. What do you know about the coat?"

He sat down, debating on how much to tell her. Deciding the truth was best, he told her everything. "I had a dream about you the other night, after our party at the Old Haunt. I dreamt that you came over afterwards for a pleasurable rendez-vous. You were wearing a gorgeous full length deep blue coat with a fur trimmed neck line. I'd never seen it before and when she mentioned it, it brought that dream rushing back."

It felt like deja-vu. "You offered me coffee, then I asked you to take me to bed."

He looked up, confused. "You took off your sweater, grabbed my hands-"

"Kissed them, then placed them on my jeans button saying-"

"I can do this with or without you, Castle, but together will be so much more fun."

"I can do this with or without you, Castle, but together will be so much more fun."

They gasped, both in shock and arousal. They didn't know what to think. It sounded like they had shared a dream, which was impossible. There's just no way it could be true. She thought back to last night and had another flashback. "That bath last night, all those candles, that was also a dream wasn't it?" He nodded, confirming what she already knew. "That's why you were acting so weird the other day isn't it? He nodded again. "How?"

"I don't know, Kate. I don't understand it either. I've never heard of anyone sharing the same dreams." He racked his brain, trying to find something to explain all this. He could only think of one thing, and she wasn't going to like it. "Kate, I have an idea, but you're not going to believe me."

"At this point, Castle, nothing would surprise me."

Taking a deep breath he dove in. "It could be magic related." He waited for her to discount it, but she sat there, clearly thinking about it. She nodded, accepting his theory, but not dismissing it or providing her own.

They turned as one when Ryan opened the door. "We got something on the video." They followed him to the video suite with Espo. "There are several cameras in the area and we got a woman leaving the scene near the TOD who matches the description given by our witnesses." He hit the play button and they watched as a woman with long dark hair walked across the street just up the road from their crime scene. Luckily for them the footage was good quality and they were able to get a look at their suspect.

"She's got the same dark hair and is about the same height. It's not much to go on, but find out who she is." Beckett told them, still on edge from the recent discovery about her and Castle. Ryan sent the picture to their computers, where they ran her face through the DMV, knowing that their suspect drove, so would likely be in the database.

While they waited they picked up where they left off with the photos. Swapping them around they rechecked them to see if there was anything they had missed the first time around.

An hour later they finished and sat back, having discovered nothing new.

Kate's phone rang. She looked at it and saw it was the ME's office. "It's Lanie." She answered it. "Beckett. Ok, be right there." She hung up. "Lanie's got something." She and Castle left to talk to Lanie, leaving the boys waiting on the DMV to spit out their suspect.

"Hey Lanie." Kate said, walking into the morgue.

"Hey." They stepped up to the body. "You vic was poisoned. She had a small amount of your mystery drug in her system, but if you get closer you can smell almonds."

"Cyanide?" Castle asked, confused.

"Yes, it was mixed in the drug and administered orally. The victim never knew what hit her. She died within minutes. I can also narrow time of death to between ten and ten thirty."

"So she was killed by the same person, just with cyanide. It was definitely murder." She said, wanting verification from Lanie.

"Yes, she was murdered. That I can prove without a doubt."

"Thanks Lanie." They headed back to the bullpen to write it up, glad that at least one death can be proved as murder.

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**What do you think?**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16 ****–**** Saturday Afternoon**

Returning to the Precinct, Beckett rolled out the third board and updated the cause of death. The boys joined them and saw that they had at last got a definite homicide. "Cyanide?"

Kate turned to them, nodding. "Yes, Lanie confirmed it as cyanide poisoning and said it was definitely murder." A ping sounded from Ryan's computer, indicating their search had proved successful.

Gathering around his computer they found they had a possible match. "Rowena Evans, 22. Address in Gramercy." He typed her name into the police database and came up empty. "She doesn't have a record. Not even a parking ticket." He pressed a few buttons. "She works as a herbalist in a small shop in Greenwich Village." They all looked at each other.

"A herbalist?" Castle asked.

"In Greenwich Village." Esposito added.

"Bring her in." Beckett concluded. Ryan and Esposito hurried off to the shop to find her. In the time before they brought her in, Beckett used that time to research her suspect some more and wrote down the questions she wanted to ask. The answers she required to close this case successfully.

Castle watched as Kate moved around the office with purpose, gathering documents, making notes, generally preparing for the interrogation. It was a sight he would never tire of. This was her niche, her calling in life. It was the reason she became a cop. To arrest the bad guys, lock them up and provide closure for the relatives left behind to pick up the pieces. She sat down at her computer, looking up a fact or something.

"Do you want a quick coffee?" He asked, standing up.

"Sure." Came her distracted reply. He headed to the break room and made her a small latte, this time adding a more intricate design to the top. Satisfied that it turned out just the way he wanted he rejoined her at her desk, placing the cup where she couldn't knock it over. Sitting, he waited for her to take a breather and spot it. He wasn't disappointed. A few minutes later she sat back, stretching her neck and reaching for the coffee. Seeing the detail in the tree in the cream she smiled sweetly at him and lightly touched the back of his hand. "This is amazing Rick. How did you manage that?"

"Years of watching barista's make thousands of cups. Studying their movements and putting them into practice." She took a sip of the hot liquid, letting it warm her both inside and out.

"Thanks."

"Always." He smiled, content to spend a few quiet moments with her before the hard part started.

She took a rare chance to sit back and enjoy his company at work. A peaceful recess between the stressful and often difficult sections of her job. She didn't want to think about how she would get through the worst parts of the job if he wasn't there. She wouldn't allow her mind to go there.

"She's here." Castle pointed out. Beckett turned around to see Ryan and Esposito leading a young brunette woman through to the interrogation room. "Can I offer you some advice?" When she nodded, he continued. "Don't treat her like a suspect." She gave him a silent stare and raised eyebrow. Seeing the look he rushed to explain. "If she is the one behind this, the drugs, the dreams, the magic, we won't get anything out of her by being aggressive. We need to sneak up on her, catch her in a lie."

She could see the logic behind his argument. "Ok what do you suggest."

"Just treat her as a witness." He stated simply. She watched as the susp- no witness- was led into interrogation, then turned back to her desk to modify her questions.

"She's ready for you." Espo said quietly.

"Thanks, can you watch from observation? I want to verify everything she says straight away. I want to know if she's our suspect or not before wasting too much time on her." They nodded, indicating they would and she and Castle headed in to question her.

"Good morning Miss Evans. I'm Detective Beckett and this is Mr Castle." She introduced them as they sat down.

"Please, call me Rowena, only my mom calls me Miss Evans."

"Ok, Rowena. We were hoping you could help us with something." Beckett said, pulling a photograph from the file in front of her and placing it in front of Rowena. "There was a murder in the alley just down the road from where this photo was taken, right around the time you were there." She let that sink in before continuing. "Did you see anything unusual, hear anything at all?" The young girl thought about it for a moment.

"Sorry, Detective, I didn't hear or see anything." She seemed apologetic.

"Do you mind if I ask what you were doing there?"

"Not at all. I had just left my friend, April's house, and was walking home. She lives at the end of that street actually."

"And what time was that?"

"About ten thirty five. I remember that because The Big Bang Theory had just finished." Beckett wrote that down indicating to the boys that she wanted them to verify that.

"You work as a herbalist, is that right?"

"Yes, that's right."

"What exactly do you make in the shop?"

"We make remedies for all sorts of things. Colds, flu, aches. If your looking for anything specific we can make it for you." Kate wrote that down too, then pulled out the photos of the victims.

"This woman was the one murdered last night." She pointed to the older woman. "And these two the previous two nights. Have you ever seen them before? Did they ever visit the shop?"

Rowena picked up the photos, studying them to see if they were familiar. Shaking her head she said she didn't recognise them, they'd never come in whilst she was there.

"Do mind if I ask for your whereabouts over the last few nights?"

"Sure. Last night I was at April's, the night before I stayed at my boyfriends place and the night before that I was at my parent's house." Beckett was getting more and more convinced that this wasn't the woman they were looking for, but her alibi's had to be checked anyway.

"Do you have a remedy using Thallowflovoine in your shop?" Castle asked having no trouble pronouncing it.

It was clear before she spoke that she had never even heard of it. "No, I know all the medicines we make, and that isn't in any of them." Both Castle and Beckett sat back disappointed, they had hoped to find it there.

A knock sounded on the door, so Beckett got up to find Ryan on the other side. "Her alibi's are solid for all three murders. She's not our guy."

"Ok thanks Ryan." She stepped back into the room and closed the door. "Thanks for coming in today Rowena, if we need anything else we'll let you know."

"I'm really sorry I couldn't be of more help Detective." She shook their hands warmly before leaving them in interrogation. Kate shut the door and sat down sighing heavily.

"This case is full of dead ends. I really thought we had her, she matched the description, she was in the area of the last murder and she had a knowledge of chemistry. How many people can you say that about?"

"I know, but she didn't fit the story, too young, too inexperienced." Castle told her.

"Well, we can't sit here all day. Let's go." She forced herself to get up and leave the room, returning to her desk.

"We found a link between our vics," Espo said, walking over to them with Ryan. "CSU found Christopher's DNA and prints at Catherine's apartment."

"They were dating." Kate exclaimed, getting excited for the first time in the case.

"Yes, and they were introduced to each other by Amanda. One of her many jobs was matchmaking. She knew the first two vics and introduced them."

"We have our connection." Castle smiled, turning to Beckett.

"Yes, and do you know what it sounds like to me?" She looked at them all hopefully. "A crime of passion." Lights went on in their eyes, signalling that they finally got it. "Now we just have to prove it."

"And find the perp." Ryan added, raining on their parade.

"Go, find me something." She told them, and they left to do just that.

Beckett sat down whilst Castle went to get them some coffee, and she watched him go, admiring him as he walked away. She was so caught up in her viewings that she didn't notice there was someone at her desk until she walked into her line of sight. Snapping her eyes up she found Alexis hovering there, looking slightly uncomfortable. "Alexis. Is everything alright?"

The redhead nodded a little. "I was wondering if I could talk to you, like you said I could this morning?"

"Of course you can. Do you want to go somewhere more private?"

"Please. I don't want to do this here, with my father hovering in the background. I know of a diner not too far from here where we can talk."

"Sure. Let's go." They headed out, unaware that Castle had seen the whole exchange from his vantage point in the break room.

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**I want to take a moment to thank all of you for reading and reviewing this story. The places used in this story - restaurants, cafes etc - are all imaginary. I don't know if places like them exist, they just popped into my head as I was writing, a lot like most of the story. It worked out well though, I think, as it all seems to flow quite nicely from one thing to the next.**

**There are still several chapters to go, so enjoy!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17 ****–**** Saturday Afternoon Part 2**

They ordered light and sat in a corner, away from prying eyes. Kate sat back, letting Alexis get comfortable and decide when she was ready to talk. A few minutes later the younger woman took a deep breath and looked up, directly into Kate's eyes. "You know I recently broke up with my boyfriend, right?" When Kate nodded she continued. "It was such a difficult decision for me to make. I mean I loved him and he loved me, but it just wasn't working. The time difference and the distance was too much and we never got to see each other. Did I make the right choice?"

Kate chose her words carefully, wanting to help, but not overstep. "Relationship's can be hard work. Add distance to that and it can seem like it's impossible. You and Ashley had a great relationship which, when tested by distance, fell apart. That tells me that even though he loved you, he failed to recognise that he still needed to be there for you. College is a huge change from high school, and it does change people. I know it changed me. My last relationship was with a doctor who preferred to travel rather than stay with me." Alexis immediately understood who she was talking about and nodded. "Whether you made the right choice? Personally I believe you did. His behaviour during the whole bomb episode was terrible. Being all the way across the country isn't an excuse as to why he wasn't there for you. If he truly loved you then, he would have called you back immediately and helped you through it. He was your first love, it's not the end of the world. There will be plenty of other guys out there just hoping for the chance to date a girl like you." She stopped to take a breath and a drink, letting her words sink in and take effect.

"Aside from Josh, did you ever do the long distance thing?" Alexis asked, curious about it.

"Yes, once. My first year of college. Before my mom was murdered. I met a guy on spring break. We attended colleges on opposite sides of the country. It was great for a while, but not seeing each other put a strain on our relationship." She leant back, reminiscing on her younger years. "I managed to get some free time and took a flight to surprise him. I found him in bed with a cheerleader." Alexis gasped. "Almost the entire time we'd been dating, he'd been sleeping with her. Needless to say I broke up with him there and then." She smiled to lighten the atmosphere.

"How did you get over that?"

"I didn't. Not until after my mom died." Alexis blushed, ashamed to have brought up such bad memories. "It's okay, Alexis. I was so messed up afterwards that it took your father's books to bring me back to life. I realised that life was too short to waste on regrets, so I forgave him and moved on. I built up a wall around my heart, one that no one could penetrate. It's only in these last few months, since the shooting actually, that I've started trying to open up more. Your dad's been pretty good at breaking through it lately, and I've been seeing a therapist too." Alexis was shocked. She was seeing a whole new side to Kate that she had never seen before.

"Wow, Kate. I had no idea. It makes my own boy troubles seem inconsequential by comparison."

Kate shut that down immediately. "No Alexis, boyfriend troubles are always important, especially to you. Never let anyone tell you otherwise." They stopped there as their food arrived. They spent the next few minutes eating in silence. Alexis absorbed everything Kate had told her and realised that, in the end, Ashley wasn't who she thought he was, and that it was time to move on. She wanted to spend some time with her girlfriends, no boys allowed, and just have some fun, maybe have a girls night in sometime.

"Thank you Kate." She said suddenly.

"For what?"

"For helping me see that it's not the end of the world when a relationship ends and that it's his loss, not mine. There's someone out there for me who will be there when I need him and won't let me down when it matters the most." The young redhead said with conviction.

"There you go, Alexis. That's the spirit." Kate smiled, glad that she was able to help her see the truth and restore her happiness and belief in love. They finished eating, both of them feeling lighter and closer to each other than they ever had before. Alexis had always looked up to Kate, and thought she was a good role model. She was glad to know that her faith in her wasn't misplaced. Standing she gave Kate a hug, thanking her again for helping her and for confiding in her about her past. Kate paid the bill and they left, each going their separate ways.

When she returned to the Precinct, Castle practically pounced on her and dragged her into the observation room. "Castle, what are you doing?" She asked, alarmed as she yanked her arm out of his hand.

"What did Alexis want? Is she ok? Is there anything I need to worry about?"

"Stop!" He snapped his mouth shut, swallowing any further questions. "She just wanted to talk, Rick. She's fine."

"Really?" He searched her eyes and found no hint of deception. "So I don't need to worry?"

"No, you don't. Everything is okay." She squeezed his arm reassuringly "She's okay."

He released the breath he'd been holding, and relaxed muscles that had been tense since the moment his daughter had shown up at the Precinct over an hour ago. "Good. That's good." He straightened up and looked around. Kate followed his movements, confused. He saw the coast was clear, so he swooped in and gave her a quick, but sizzling kiss, setting her hormones afire. It was only about two seconds long, but it stayed with her and left her lips tingling. When she remembered where she was she refocused to find herself alone. Walking to the door she found Ryan and Espo on their phones and Castle nowhere in sight. She returned to her desk and sat down, still slightly dazed, from both the talk and the kiss. She was still sat there when Castle eventually rejoined her.

He looked at her with concern. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just feeling a little dazed. It's not every day two Castle's can catch me unawares. Takes a little getting used to." She smiled, telling Castle that it was a good thing. He returned the smile, happy in the knowledge that his daughter was coping well with both her break-up and his new relationship.

"I'm glad she has you to talk to when she needs to. I'm happy she feels comfortable enough to confide in you."

"Me too, but you're not going to get me to spill. She came to me in confidence. When she's ready to let you in she will, trust me. She's still daddy's little girl." She spoke from experience, knowing that, when the time was right, Alexis would tell her father everything.

He believed her, knowing that she only had her father left and that she must have gone through similar situations herself. With only her father to turn to when things were bad, she had to have wanted his advice and unconditional love and support to see her through. With the loss of her mother playing on his mind, he knew Kate had suffered a lot more than any person should ever have to suffer. That was why he wanted to solve the case for her, help her put away the man responsible, without endangering her in any way. If she ever found out the truth it could all end very badly. Keeping her safe and whole and alive was his first priority. He couldn't lose her over the one case that had haunted her since day one. He shook away the maudlin thoughts and returned to the case in front of them.

"Yo" Espo said, putting down the phone and heading over to join them. "That was my friend at the lab. The analysis just came through, she's emailing it you as we speak." She checked her inbox and found the message. Opening it up she first sent a copy to the printer then started to read. Ryan picked up the paper copy on his way through. The report was short and to the point. It detailed the chemical breakdown and the possible effects. All the ingredients were ones that could be found at any grocery and herbalist store. The effects were the most puzzling thing.

"Effects of taking the aforementioned drug are enhanced feelings of sexual arousal, attraction and love."

A sickening thought struck Kate and she hoped it wasn't true. A report was handed to her by one of the uniforms passing through. Opening it she found it was CSU's report on the warehouse. She skimmed through it until she found the part she wanted. It told her what she already suspected. "The dust we found in the hidden room matches the drug on each of our vics." Castle caught on straight away, putting the pieces together quickly and reaching the same conclusion as she had. Catching her eye he nodded once to indicate he understood they were affected. "This lends more credibility to my crime of passion theory. She said, adding it to the first murder board. She stood back and studied the boards again, this time adding in the lust and love angle. "The third vic brought the first two together, and she was the last to die. She was an afterthought."

"So one of the other two was the main target."

"Maybe our murderer didn't like fact that they were together."

"Or that Amanda introduced them."

"So he-"

"Or she."

"Or she decided to take matters into his or her own hands."

"And killed them all."

Ryan and Espo watched the play between them with equal parts fascination and annoyance. "Do you think they realise their finishing each other's sentences?" Ryan asked quietly.

"Or that they step closer each time?" They looked at each other for a second, then shook their heads as a negative. Beckett stepped away, looking down, confirming what the boys thought - that they don't pay attention when their on a roll.

"We should look into that." She addressed the boys. "Find out if anyone was unhappy about the new couple. Someone out there knows something." They jumped up, eager to find something to finally help solve the case.

Seeing they had a moment alone, Kate pulled Castle to the side to discuss what they had just learned.

"It can't be a coincidence that we just happened to get together after we breathed in that powder." She hissed.

"I know, Kate, but we can't talk about it here. How about I come by your place later, and we can talk then with no chance of being overheard?"

She nodded, agreeing it would be a good idea not to have this conversation in a place they could very easily be eavesdropped on. "Ok, that's probably a good idea. Come over at seven." She told him, then turned around to check they hadn't been overheard. Seeing that they were ok, she went back to her desk, where she wanted to thoroughly read the reports and get as much information on the drug and effects as possible.

A few hours later and she had read and re-read the reports so many times she could recite them by heart. The whole time Castle had sat by her in silence, just letting her work, which was a little shocking to her. He usually had some quip or remark that he came out with. Looking over she found his dozing in the chair. She smiled as she realised it was because he'd fallen asleep that she had managed to have a peaceful afternoon at work. It was nice, but not something she wanted to make a habit of.

She looked at the clock and saw it was past time to go home. She was loathe to wake him, but he couldn't stay here all night, so she shook him gently and called his name.

He came awake slowly to Kate's voice and persistent shaking, reluctant to leave the land of nod. "Castle, it's time to go home."

He opened his eyes to find Kate watching with an amused look on her face. "Long night?"

"Tell me about it. I met this beautiful woman who agreed to go out with me and she's worn me out."

"So what? Are you saying you can't keep up old man?" She snickered when he threw her an indignant look.

"I'll have you know that I can keep up with the best of them."

"Care to test that theory Mr Castle?"

He stood up and leant closer. "Any time Miss Beckett. Any time." Then he turned and, without looking back, walked out of the Precinct.

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**The truth is starting to emerge. What happens next?**


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: This one is all smut!**

* * *

**Chapter 18 ****–**** Saturday Night**

Kate paced the apartment, full of nervous energy and intense arousal. Knowing Castle would be there soon, heightened everything. She couldn't sit still, or concentrate on the latest book she'd bought. She was too wound up and needed release, but it was far too late to do anything about it right now. A knock sounded and she froze. Looking at the clock she saw that it was seven on the dot. 'He's nothing if not punctual', she thought to herself as she made herself walk over and let him in. She was greeted by the sight of Castle in faded jeans and a burgundy sweater. He looked good. Damn. This was bad, there was no way she was going to be able to keep her hands to herself when he looked so scrumptious. She realised she was staring so she shook her head and stepped back, letting him in. She took his coat and hung it on the rack by the door. Leading him into the kitchen she poured them both a glass of red wine without asking if he wanted one. She just knew he needed it as much as she did. After taking a fortifying sip she made herself comfortable on the couch. A minute later he joined her, but kept a reasonable distance between them. 'He must feel the attraction as much as I do.' For the first time she hated the fact that they had been dosed. It made it impossible to tell how much of what they were feeling was real. She took a deep breath and jumped right in, Beckett style. "Castle, how can we know if any of this is real?"

He nodded and completed her unspoken thought. "And how much is directly influenced by the drug we inadvertently inhaled?" When she agreed, he continued. "I guess we won't. Not until the effects wear off."

"So we shouldn't go making any decisions that would affect not only us but those around us."

"Agreed, but that doesn't mean we can't enjoy ourselves in the mean time does it?" He asked, giving her the puppy dog eyes. She rolled her eyes at him, but smiled. She wasn't averse to the idea. She certainly enjoyed herself with him, and he was always so attentive. No, there wasn't anything wrong with just having fun for the time being and letting nature run it's course. They could talk afterwards, and discuss their next move, if there was one, when they were back to their normal, drug-free selves.

Sitting back, feeling much better about the whole deal, Kate's mind started to wander to other, more energetic uses of their time. Castle could stay a while, they could have more wine and see where the night takes them. And he could prove to her that he could keep up with her while he was at it. Yes, she liked that idea. Testing his prowess and stamina sounded like a brilliant use of their time tonight. She could feel her arousal, which had been at a low hum since he had arrived, starting to rise. Setting her glass down carefully, she took Castle's and did the same.

"I believe someone offered to test a theory this afternoon." Smiling wickedly Castle pounced, sending Kate flat on her back on the couch cushions. She laughed at his sudden move, which turned into a moan when he attacked her neck, kissing and sucking strongly. "If you give me another hickey I swear I will shoot you." She managed to gasp out, but he heard her and brought his lips up to hers, kissing her hard. Wrapping her arms and legs around him, Kate returned the kiss with equal passion. They lay there for a long time just kissing, trying to arouse the other to a fever pitch. Castle soon decided a change of venue was needed and picked her up of the couch, heading towards where he believed her bedroom to be. Clinging tightly to him, Kate enjoyed the ride. Every step brought his erection into contact with her clit, sending sparks through her. When he reached her bed he turned and sat down, causing Kate to unwrap her legs and place them on the bed. He scooted up the bed until he reached the middle and laid down, lowering her on top of him. She was impressed. It was expertly done, they didn't lose contact at all. Leaning on her arms, she stared down into his eyes, letting her hair fall around them, creating an intimacy far beyond anything they had experienced before. Watching closely, she lowered her head for a soft kiss, merely a brush of lips then moved on to his cheek, going higher each time until she reached his forehead. Reversing direction she did the same on the other side, taking care not to miss a single inch.

Castle trembled slightly at the intimacy of the action. It meant more to him than anything anyone had ever done to him before. Returning, as always, to his lips, she gave him a long, slow kiss, full of passion and promise. It stole his breath away. He ran his hands up her back, into her hair and down to her waist. Gripping her gently, he whisked her over and pinned her down. Shocked by the sudden movement she opened her eyes and found him hovering above her. When he saw her focus on him, he smiled widely. "You ready for me to rock your world?" She smiled back, which he took as a yes, so he kissed her quick before moving down the bed. Taking off her socks he started with her feet. He kneaded them, concentrating on her arches, knowing that her killer heels were sometimes literal. A moan from above told him he was doing it right. Moving onto her legs, he ran his hands up to the waist of her yoga pants and drew them off. Tossing them aside he massaged her legs, applying more pressure to her thighs, working out the kinks and knots until she was supple once more. Heading north he put his hands underneath her t-shirt and pushed it up and off. He repeated his ministrations to her fingers and arms, leaving her moaning in bliss beneath him. Next he removed her underwear, so she was deliciously naked and sprawled out on her own bed. She was so relaxed that she didn't even stir when he got up to remove his own clothes. Proud of his ability to turn her into mush, Castle rejoined her, laying down and pulling the covers up and over them. Feeling bedding and not a man on top of her Kate opened her eyes to find Castle next to her and, if she wasn't mistaken, he was naked too. She paused to think as she couldn't remember when that happened. He really knew how to relax a woman, and make her forget everything. It made her wonder if he had done this before with his ex wives. Shaking that thought loose, as it had no place in her bedroom, she turned to Castle questioningly.

"Turn around." She did as she was told, hoping he would get on with it soon enough. She didn't want to take matters into her own hands, and she had a sneaky suspicion that it wouldn't help her anyway, not with this drug coursing through her system. Facing away from him, she couldn't see what he was up to.

Satisfied with her compliance, Castle moved up behind her and put his arm around her waist. Kissing her neck, he inserted a knee between hers and slid inside her. She gasped and arched at the unexpected manoeuvre. She was only partially ready for him, and that tightness just intensified things. Almost immediately she was on the edge, and he hadn't even started to move yet. "Breathe." He whispered, rubbing her stomach lightly. Taking a few deep breaths, she calmed down enough to realise he still wasn't moving. Flexing her inner muscles had no effect either. Somehow the man had developed amazing restraint. That move usually had the desired effect and got him moving, but not today. He really was out to prove he could keep up with her and nothing was going to sway him. Sighing dramatically drew a small chuckle from him. "Patience, my love. All in good time." He moved his hand from her belly down to where they were joined and circled himself, rubbing her highly sensitive nerve clusters at the same time.

He was driving her crazy. These teasing touches and hot breaths in her ear were sending her out of control. He lightly pinched her clit, sending her into an unexpected and extremely pleasurable orgasm. Keeping it up he helped her ride it out, not stopping until she collapsed against him.

"Wow, that was incredible." She panted harshly. In acknowledgement he kissed her ear then started to move. Starting at a slow steady pace, he built her back up slowly, letting her feel it this time, the pressure, the pleasure, the love in his touch. She reached up behind her and palmed his head, bringing his mouth to hers so she could kiss him. He picked up the pace, feeling his own orgasm sneaking up on him. Determined to make her come again before him, her changed the angle slightly, deepening his penetration and rubbing against her clit on every thrust. That did the trick, causing her to buck wildly. Throwing her head back beside his, she came hard, shuddering violently. Feeling her body clenching around his, he came, groaning harshly. He held her close as her body milked his dry. They lay there, panting harshly, for several minutes, before they were able to regain their breathing.

A huge smile crept onto Kate's face. She felt boneless and sated, a feeling she rarely achieved, in or out of bed. He certainly was very talented in this department, which shouldn't really shock her, considering his rather public romantic history.

"I take it from that smile that I lived up to expectations." He rumbled in her ear, peering over her shoulder at her.

"All that and more." She said, turning round in his arms to face him, grinning cheekily. "But how's your stamina?"

"Just fine, I'll have you know." He retorted. "But I'm not as young as I used to be, so forgive me if I need a few minutes to recover." He dared her to retaliate.

"Aww, don't worry Castle, I can start without you." She teased, just waiting for his indignant reply. She wasn't disappointed.

"Oh no you won't! I may not be ready yet," He indicated that by rubbing his semi hard erection against her, "But that won't stop me from playing with you." They wrestled with each other, laughing and joking and battling for dominance in a light hearted game.

The game turned serious when she felt his erection slide along her folds, asking for entrance. Quieting down, they maintained eye contact as he joined them together. They set a lazy pace, slowly building each other up to the edge. Touching each other and sharing soft kisses, they climaxed together, letting it roll over them slowly. Collapsing beside her he lay there, trying to catch his breath. The physical exertions of the evening were taking their toll and he was exhausted. Too tired to move, he beckoned Kate closer, not wanting her so far away from him. She dragged herself the short distance to him and lay down on his chest, tangling their legs together. Wrapping his arms around her, he kissed her head and settled down. Within minutes the only sound that filled the apartment was the deep breathing of two sleeping people.

* * *

**R&R?**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19 ****–**** Sunday Morning**

Slapping the alarm clock into silence, Kate attempted to rise. An arm around her waist pulled her back and the owner of the arm grumbled something about it being too early. Smiling to herself at the man child sharing a bed with her, she turned to face him, and found that he had gone right back to sleep. Clearly he wasn't a morning person today. She ran her fingers down his face, the faintest touch, designed to illicit a reaction. She didn't have to wait long, as he raised his hand up and a sharp sound filled the air. He had slapped himself. He shot upright, startled by the movement. Kate was in fits of laughter, rolling around on the bed, almost in tears at what had happened.

"Kate?" He asked, confused by the chain of events.

"Oh, Castle. That was so funny." She said, wiping her eyes, when she managed to get herself under control. "You are one of the only people I know who would slap themselves awake." She chuckled again, this time keeping it under control.

He narrowed his eyes at her, getting a sneaky suspicion that she had something to do with it. Watching her reaction just convinced him she was involved. "It was you, wasn't it? You did something to make me do it."

She burst into laughter again, nodding vigorously. "I was running my fingers down your face." She settled down and tried to explain further. "It's time to get up and you didn't want to let me go. I just wanted you to move your arm so I could get out of bed. I knew a feather light touch would do the trick. I just didn't know you'd react so strongly." She snickered, remembering the moment his hand hit his face and he shot awake. She looked at him, now that she had calmed down, and noticed a red mark on his cheek. "Oh Rick," She reached out to his cheek. "That's gotta smart." She ran her hand over the mark, feeling the heat on her knuckles.

He trapped her hand between his face and cheek and smiles. "It doesn't hurt, especially when you do that." He threaded his finger through hers and held her hand, lowering them to his lap. "Nothing you cause me to do to myself will ever hurt me. It was my own fault for wearing myself out last night."

"No, Rick. It's mine. I challenged you to prove you're more than your age, not taking into account the fact that we have to work this morning. I promise that next time I'll make sure I'm off the day after so we can just stay in bed if we want."

His head shot up and a huge smile appeared on his face. "You want to do this again?"

She thought about what she had said, then remembered that they were under the influence of a lust/love drug, and had agreed not to make any decisions until they were free and clear of the effects.

"Sorry Castle, I wasn't thinking. Right now, I would love nothing more than to say yes, but until we find out the truth, anything I say can't be trusted. I don't want to disappoint you by saying one thing now and changing my mind later, when the effects wear off."

"I understand, Kate. I know we can't trust whatever we say regarding a future. I was just a little shocked that you were so ready to jump in again." He said, easing both her mind and his. "It's okay. When this is over we'll sit down and have a good, long talk. Discuss everything."

She nodded, thankful he wasn't upset about it and was willing to wait and see. She finally got out of bed and headed for the shower. Moments later she was joined by him. Showering together this time was a sombre affair, with neither of them willing to even acknowledge the lust simmering just below the surface. Getting out Kate immediately went to dry and style her hair, so Castle dried off and dressed in yesterday's clothes.

"Kate," He called from the bedroom, "I'm gonna head home, check in on Alexis and change clothes. I'll see you at the Precinct?" He made it a question, not wanting to overstep their fragile truce.

"Sure, Castle." She replied. "Just don't forget my coffee. Remember, I was up half the night with an insatiable lover."

His mood lightened upon hearing her words and he left her apartment with a spring in his step and a song in his heart.

Smiling at the ease with which she could change his attitude, Kate started humming as she finished getting ready for work.

"Morning Richard. Looks like it's you doing the walk of shame this morning." His mother's greetings never failed to amuse him.

"Morning Dad." Alexis said, bouncing down the stairs.

"Morning ladies, and how are you both this fine day." He wasn't going to dignify his mother's statement with a reply.

"Good Dad. I feel great."

"Glad to hear it." He kissed her on the top of her head. "I take it the talk with Beckett helped?"

"Yeah, she's great. She made me see everything in a different light. She helped me to see that breaking up with Ashley, no matter how painful, was the right thing to do. As much as loved Ashley, a relationship with him would have ultimately failed. I didn't see it before, but I do now. He has been slowly changing the entire time he's been in college. We used to talk all the time, but in the latter weeks I could never get hold of him. The bank incident opened my eyes and I realised it wasn't going to change, no matter how much I hoped for it." She took a breath, looking at her father and gram, finding them standing there with proud looks on their faces. "So for right now, I'm just going to focus on my studies, finish high school and take it from there. Spend some time with my girlfriends."

"I'm proud of you, sweetie." Castle said, giving her a big hug. "Now I've got to change and get to the Precinct before Beckett gives away my chair."

"Dad?" Alexis asked, quietly.

"Yeah?" He turned back to face her, a little worried by her tone.

"Are you and Beckett serious?"

"I don't know yet. We've got some major issues to work through before we can make any decisions. We both decided it wouldn't be fair to make any choices whilst we were so affected by this case. Until we can be sure we're thinking for ourselves we're just going to leave it alone."

Alexis was confused by his answer, but mentally shook her head, offering her father what she hoped was a reassuring smile. It must have been because he nodded and set off for his bedroom.

After a quick change of clothes and check of his emails, he headed to the coffee place to pick up Kate's favourite beverage.

She was sat at her desk, trying to get some work done, but all she was really doing was watching the elevator out of the corner of her eye for Castle. She was getting impatient. She had done the math in her head, and even with an extended chat with his family, he should have been here by now. She snapped out of her musings when the elevator dinged, signalling it had stopped on this floor.

Looking up she saw Castle getting off with a coffee in each hand. She tried hard to keep the smile of her face, but failed miserably when his lit up upon seeing her. Reaching her he handed Beckett her coffee, brushing his fingers against hers in the process and sending the familiar jolt of electricity between them. He kept hold of it for a moment, maintaining contact with her, completely oblivious to the world around them.

"Dude," Ryan nodded towards the pair, bringing them to Esposito's attention. "Tell me their not sleeping together."

Espo studied them, they way they were staring at each other, the 'holding of hands' around the coffee cup, the undeniable sexual attraction surrounding them and he had to agree with him. "I see your point, but how do we get them to admit it without letting on that we know."

"I guess we just wait and see." Ryan said, turning back to his computer to finish reading the latest report.

Kate blushed and looked away, taking her coffee with her. After taking a sip, she called them all around the murder boards. "Let's run through everything we know." She started with the first victim.

"Christopher Danielson, twenty six. Found dead in Midtown."

"Catherine Brown-Doyle, twenty four. Found dead in the Park." Ryan added.

"Amanda Webster, forty eight. Found dead in the Bowery." Espo said.

"All three knew each other, Amanda introduced Cathie and Chris to one another." Beckett said.

"A black van with pink and green lights was spotted at the first crime scene and also at the warehouse where the drug was manufactured." Ryan piped up.

"All three died as a result of taking this Thallowflovoine, although the drug itself isn't fatal." Espo said.

They fell silent, reviewing evidence so far and finding nothing more to add.

Beckett sighed. "We need to talk to the herbalist again." She turned to the boys. "Did you get anywhere with the friends and family?"

Espo shook his head. "Not yet. We talked to the relatives and came up empty. We're gonna talk to co-workers today."

"Okay. Let's go Castle." She grabbed a file from her desk and headed out with her coffee in hand, having not had a chance to finish it whilst they were talking.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20 ****–**** Sunday Morning Part 2**

Traffic was relatively light and they were able to get to the little herbal shop quickly. Walking in they found Rowena stocking up.

"Just a minute." She called from the ladder. They took a little look around the shop, noting the remedies and mixtures were all natural and home-made. "Detective Beckett, Mr Castle. What can I do for you today?" Rowena asked cheerily.

"After our talk yesterday we received some more evidence in our case and we were hoping you could help us." Beckett told her.

"Okay, I'll try, but I don't know how much more I can tell you."

"You remember we asked you about a drug called Thallowflovoine?" When she nodded, Kate continued. "We received the analysis of it and it's chemical breakdown. Could you take a look at it and see if any of it is familiar in any way to you?" She handed the page over to the young woman, watching her reaction closely to see if there was any subterfuge on her part.

Taking the paper, Rowena read the list of ingredients and the effects, wanting to help them out. "The components are all easily accessible. We sell them here, but they can all be found in any health store. As for the effects, I think-." She stepped around the counter, grabbing a pen and some paper and started writing. Castle and Beckett waited anxiously for her to finish. Putting the pen down Rowena rejoined them. "If you break down the combination you come up with two 'recipes'. One enhances lust by increasing the flow of testosterone in the body and the other increases dopamine and oxytocin in the body, the 'love chemicals'. Both together would theoretically cause a surge of love and lust between two people."

"We found a book which was open to a page with this list on it. The drug was called Thallowflovoine." Her eyes widened and she turned around, bending over the page again. "What?"

Picking up the paper she had written on she showed them the word 'Thallowflovoine'. Beckett threw her a 'get on with it' look. "It's an anagram. Change the letters around and you get 'How to-"

"Fall in love." Castle concluded and the girl nodded. "How did I not see that?" He cursed himself for not discovering that earlier.

Kate felt a bit disconcerted at this new information. Someone had mixed together a drug to make people fall in love. She looked at Castle, who was silently berating himself, and felt sadness. None of it was true, what she felt for Castle was because of the drug.

"But that name, the sentence, how to fall in love, is misleading. It doesn't work that way. You can't make someone fall in love with you. These 'drugs' only work when the feelings are already there." Rowena added, startling them both from their reveries.

"So they merely enhance what a person is feeling. They don't create them." Beckett asked, seeking clarification on the matter. She looked at Castle and found him listening intently for the answer.

"Yes. There is nothing out there, real or magic, that can make a person love someone when the feelings aren't there."

Beckett nodded, absorbing it until she realised what Rowena had said. "I'm sorry. Did you say magic?"

"Yes, Detective." The young woman smiled. "Magic is very real. I'm a wiccan."

Beckett was skeptical, but Castle was practically bursting with excitement. His theory was sounding more and more like it was true. "So you can do spells and make potions and such?" He asked, eager to learn more.

"Yes. I don't know much right now, as I'm still learning, but my boss is a fully-fledged witch. She's brilliant and she's teaching me everything she knows about witchcraft."

Hearing that there was another woman out there who had the means to practice magic caught Beckett's attention. "And who is your boss?" She asked, getting an idea.

"Elizabeth Rivers. She goes by the name Aurora."

"Is she here today?"

"No, it's her day off today."

"Has she been acting strangely lately"

Rowena thought about it for a moment, then nodded. "Now that you mention it, yes. She's been more upset and annoyed recently. I thought it was because I failed to master spell-making."

"Would Aurora know how to do something like this?"

"Yes, she would." Rowena said, starting to feel nervous. "She can do pretty much anything."

"Do you know if she has a van?" Castle asked, catching on quickly.

She nodded, "A black van, yes."

"Does it have any added extras?"

"Pink and green flashing lights on the undercarriage." She looked between the detective and the writer, seeing that she was confirming things they already knew.

"Do you know the licence plate?" Castle asked, hoping that she did.

"Yes, it's SPN 2981." Rowena told them.

"Do you have a picture of Ms Rivers?" Beckett asked, wanting to get back out there and find her.

"Yes, in the back room. I'll get it of you want?"

"Please." The young woman hurried out back and left Castle and Beckett feeling energised. They now had a woman who ticked a lot of boxes in the suspect column. Before they could even move Rowena was back with a small colour photo.

"Here we are Detective. This was taken two weeks ago at a coven meeting." She showed Beckett a photo of a tall woman with long black hair, wearing a long blue coat with a grey fur neckline. She showed the picture to Castle who gasped and nodded, confirming that he recognised the coat too.

"Thank you Rowena, you've been a big help."

"Not at all. I just can't believe Lizzie would kill anyone. She's not that type of person." She felt saddened and dejected.

"Everyone has limits Rowena. Something happened to her that caused her to snap and lash out at those she felt had wronged her. There is nothing wrong with that." Beckett said, giving the girl a new perspective. "But she took it a step too far and killed three people. She can't get away with that." When Rowena nodded in understanding, Kate squeezed her arm in reassurance and headed out. She wanted to get back to the Precinct quickly and get a warrant out for Elizabeth Rivers.

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**Now their getting somewhere with the case. I know nothing about licence plates in America, so any errors are mine alone. Please R&R.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21 - Sunday Afternoon**

_She watched at the detective and the writer left her little shop with narrowed eyes. The potion and the spell should be working, but these two were here, talking to her protégé when they should be in bed, slaves to their mutual lust. Clenching her fists, she wanted to scream. This wasn't supposed to happen. How could she get away from here when they knew so much about her and, if she wasn't mistaken, had a photo of her too. Turning away she headed down the alley, towards her van, where she cast a small spell:_

"_Change the colour from black to white,_

_And turn the lights to blue._

_Make the numbers fade out of sight,_

_The letters something new._

_So no one can identify,_

_Or stop the van today._

_Help me to fade out of sight_

_And disappear into the night."_

_Taking a handful of silver powder she blew it towards the van and was rewarded when the van changed colour and licence plate details. She smiled grimly at the only thing that had gone right today and got in, heading towards the East River._

Kate strode into the bullpen with purpose. She had called Ryan and Espo from the car, telling them to meet in the office as soon as possible. She found them waiting for her, so she headed straight for their desks. "Our suspect is Elizabeth Rivers." She handed Ryan the photo and he turned to his computer to search for her. "She owns the herbal shop in Greenwich Village. She drives a black van with green and pink lights on the undercarriage, licence SPN 2981. She's also a practising witch." She turned to Esposito. "See if you can find any covens in the area, she's part of one."

"Alright." He turned to his own computer and started typing.

"Elizabeth Rivers. Thirty two. She lives on Central Park West." Ryan pressed a few buttons. "She has a record. Two counts of disturbing the peace and one for possession of an illegal substance. She did six months for the drugs charge and was given community service for the others. But they were seven years ago. Nothing since then."

"There's only one coven listed in the area. The 'Sisters of the New Age of Karma and Equality'. Quite a mouthful."

"So they're called SNAKE?" Castle asked, abbreviating the name.

They all took a minute to reach the same conclusion as him and found the name strange and slightly humorous. "Alright, let's concentrate. We need evidence to prove she did it. Did she know any of our vic's? Does she connect to the warehouse? Motive. Means. Opportunity."

They spent the next hour searching through their reports and the vic's records, trying to find something to connect them.

"Here's something." Espo said walking over to the board. "Christopher used to visit Greenwich Village pretty regularly before his parents died. The shop across the street, Ralph's, was a regular stop for him."

"So she could have seen him through the window." Beckett nodded. Espo wrote it on the board under the heading 'Connections'.

Over the course of the afternoon the list grew, linking her to all three victims, but mainly Christopher. She seemed to frequent the same places he used to. After his loss she appeared to lose track of him, then two months ago she started using stores around his work places, indicating she found him again. It looked like she was stalking him.

"I think we've managed to discover the chain of events." Beckett commented to the room at large. "Elizabeth must have been in love with Christopher, so she started stalking him. Then his parents died, and he became something of a recluse. Somehow she found him again and resumed stalking him. Then he met Catherine, through Amanda, and they began dating. That was probably when she snapped, and decided if she couldn't have him no one could."

"But why kill the girlfriend and the matchmaker?" Espo asked.

"I don't know, maybe to kill the competition. We'll ask her when we arrest her." Beckett told them. "Put out a BOLO on the van and on her. She wasn't at work today as it's her day off."

Ryan and Esposito returned to their desks to set them up and get her photo circulated to the cops on the street. Kate only hoped they found her quickly, three murders in five days was too many. It made her a serial killer and Kate only hoped she was finished, and no-one else would turn up dead, because of a rejection.

They didn't have any luck finding her. It seemed like she had disappeared, and there was no sign of the van. No one had gone anywhere near the warehouse for the drugs, and she hadn't returned to her apartment for the night either. Feeling they'd have better luck in the morning when the warrants came through they called it a night.

Kate held back, waiting for Esposito and Ryan to leave before her, so she could talk to Castle alone, or as alone as you could get in the bullpen. "Rick, I don't know whether this is the drug talking, but I don't want to be alone tonight. The thought of the empty apartment that awaits me just makes me cringe. Do you mind if I come over later to stay the night?" She asked shyly, not meeting his eyes, afraid to see his reaction.

"Kate, look at me." He said gently, and waited for her to comply. When she did he continued. "You don't have to ask. I've always told you to make yourself at home. Besides, I'd love to have you stay."

"But what about Alexis, and Martha?" She asked, wanting him to spend time with his family, and not have to deal with her neuroses.

"They'll understand, Kate. I'll talk to them when I get home, let them know you'll be coming over later to stay the night." Seeing Kate's sceptical look he added, "They understand that nothing is decided yet, and it won't be until we get to the bottom of the case. Once we do, I'll sit down with them and explain everything. Don't worry Kate, just come over when you're ready."

"Okay, Rick. I'll see you soon." She looked around to check they weren't seen, then gave him a scorching kiss that nearly knocked his socks off. When he remembered to breathe, Kate was in the elevator, holding the door open for him.

He had a suspicious gleam in his eye when he finally joined her for the ride downstairs, and it didn't take long to figure out why. When the doors closed, giving them total privacy he backed her up against the wall and kissed the life out of her. He ran his hands down her back, letting her feel every inch of his body, and the painful erection she had caused with her action. Trailing his lips to her ear, he whispered, "This is what you do to me when you kiss me like that. I hope you plan to do something about it when I see you later." The doors opened so he turned on his heel and walked out, looking totally unaffected by the events that just occurred. Kate stared after him, amazed by the strong reaction she had illicited with just one tiny kiss. The elevator dinged and the doors started closing, causing Kate to snap out of it and hurry after him. She headed to her car in a sort of daze, unaware of her surroundings. When Esposito stepped out of the shadows and spoke, she jumped about a foot in the air. "Sorry, Beckett. You okay?"

"Yeah, Espo. I'm fine. You just caught me off guard is all. I didn't expect anyone to be down here." She made it a statement, but sent him a questioning glance.

"I have a bad feeling I can't seem to shake, and I just wanted to make sure you're okay." He told her, looking harder and seeing she was shaking a little. "You sure you're okay? You're shaking."

"I'm fine, Espo. "She repeated. "You scared me is all, and the adrenaline's pumping. When that stops so will the shakes. Go home, we got a big day tomorrow."

They went their separate ways, but Esposito waited until she got in her car and was safely on her way before heading home himself. He felt eyes watching him and he didn't like it. It put him on edge. The whole case did. Hopefully it would all be over tomorrow and the feeling would disappear.

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**Just one chapter today. It's getting close to the end now, just a few more chapters to go!**


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22 ****–**** Sunday Evening**

"_But Jez, I did everything right. I mixed the potion, I said the spell and it still didn't work. That detective and her writer must not be as attracted to one another as we were led to believe." Aurora pleaded, hoping her coven master could help._

"_Oh, they're attracted all right. In fact they've spent the last few nights slaking their lust with each other. They just have a stronger will to solve cases than most." Jezebel replied, smiling at his 'daughter'._

"_They know who I am and about my van." She tried again. "They know I killed those three people because he rejected me. They'll find me tomorrow, I know they will."_

"_Yes, you're right. They will." He was totally immune to her pleading, formulating a plan of his own to deal with this snivelling child in front of him. "Don't worry my dear Aurora. I'll deal with them." He drew her into a tight hug, pulled out a syringe and jabbed it into her neck, knocking her unconscious. Swinging her into his arms he walked into the bedroom and placed her on the bed. Gathering the ingredients he needed he set them on the altar at the end of the bed. Taking the white chalk he began by drawing the symbols on the floor required for his spell to work. Next he put all the ingredients in a bowl and lit them. Then he recited a spell:_

"_God of thievery and spite_

_Hear me now._

_To make things right_

_She must take a bow._

_Silence her soul and heart,_

_Replace them with mine._

_When finished I shall depart,_

_And hear no more her whine."_

_Opening his eyes he found himself lying on the bed, looking up at his vacant body. Getting up he instructed the empty shell to lie down and not move. He cast a spell around the building to prevent it from being discovered. Satisfied that his body would not disappear or be found, he set off the end it, once and for all._

"Mother, Alexis!" Castle called as he walked into the loft, Chinese food in hand. "Can you come here a moment."

"What's wrong dad?" Alexis asked, running down the stairs to join him and Martha in the kitchen.

"Nothing's wrong sweetie. I just want to talk to you both about something." He pulled the cartons out of the bag, handing several to them for dinner. They settled around the kitchen counter and ate, waiting for Castle to begin. After a few bites he spoke. "Kate's going to be coming round later and spending the night. It's doesn't mean we've made a decision. The case isn't quite over and neither are the effects. We are going to talk when everything is said and done though."

"Dad, it's okay. But we don't understand what you mean when you say 'not until the effects wear off.' What effects? What happened to you?" Alexis asked, wanting to know what's going on.

Castle realised his mistake and rushed to explain. "Sorry sweetie. I forgot you don't know. Okay. This case is about a woman scorned. A few days ago Kate and I went to a warehouse where a drug was being manufactured. There was a little powder on a table and we both sneezed, stirring it up and inhaling it. We later found out that it caused chemical surges in the brain, both of lust and love. That's what's been affecting us these last few days. So you can see why we're holding back on the matter. The drug's effects are overshadowing our relationship. Until they wear off we can't be entirely sure we're being honest about our motives. Now I know Kate would never hurt me, but this situation could backfire on us. I want to let her come to me on her own terms, when she's ready. If that's now or in a few years, so be it, I'm willing to wait for her."

"I know dad, I just want you to be happy, and if Kate is the one for you then I can accept that." Alexis told her father.

"Thanks sweetie." He came around the counter and gave her a hug, pleased to hear that. "What about you mother? You've been very quiet this evening."

"I've always known you and Katherine would end up together. I'm delighted that you're together, even if it is only for now." Martha told him.

"Thank you mother." He replied, a little shocked at her beliefs. "I had no idea you felt that way."

They ate the rest of their dinner, talking about their day, just being a family. Once the cartons were empty, Martha said she had a date with her acting class and Alexis headed upstairs saying she had a paper due tomorrow and she'd be back down soon, so Kate wouldn't feel like she had kicked them out or was intruded in any way. He sat a little while longer, for all intents and purposes, alone in the loft.

Kate kicked off her shoes and headed for the shower. Stepping under the hot water, she let it wash away the trials of the day. She stayed there only a few minutes, not wanting to wait too long to head over. Dressing in her favourite worn jeans and oversized sweater she sat on the couch and ate the take out she'd picked up on her way home. It satisfied one hunger and she hoped the other would be sated later on tonight. Looking at the clock she saw it was nearing seven thirty. Grabbing a change of clothes and some essentials she put them into an overnight bag and headed out to Castle's.

She felt nervous that she was intruding intentionally when she knocked on the door, but she needn't have worried. Alexis opened the door, greeting her warmly and invited her in. "He's in the office, Kate." She leaned in conspiratorially. "He was hit my a sudden jolt of inspiration and disappeared twenty minutes ago to 'jot it down.'" The young girl rolled her eyes lovingly and led the way to the kitchen.

"So he could be a while." Kate nodded, understanding his minds ability to wander and procrastinate and decided not to disturb him. If he was writing he wouldn't hear her anyway so there was no point even trying to talk to him. Better to wait until he'd finished.

"Help yourself to coffee, or if you want something stronger there's beer in the fridge and wine in the rack." Alexis pointed out each choice then sat at the counter in front of her homework.

"Thanks." She placed her bag on the couch and headed to the wine rack, feeling like she needed the 'something stronger.' Pulling out a bottle of red, she looked at the label and saw it was a brand she'd never had before. She uncorked it and poured a little in a glass to taste. She liked it, it tasted really good. Grabbing a second glass she poured two glasses, one for her and one for Castle, leaving his next to her on the counter.

"Kate, can I ask you something? For my homework." Alexis asked, forestalling Kate's decision to wait on the couch.

"Sure." She said, sitting opposite her. "What do you want to know."

"My latest assignment is to write a paper on someone who has become a role model to me. Someone everyday who inspires me." She continued shyly, unsure of Kate's reaction. "I chose you. After everything you've been through you've become one of the finest detectives in New York City."

Kate blushed at the praise but at the same time was extremely flattered. "Thanks Alexis, that's really kind of you."

"I've always looked up to you. You're an amazing detective and I just wanted to ask you a few questions about it, if that's alright." When Kate nodded, she began.

"Before your mom died, what did you want to be?"

"Well, I was following in my parents footsteps, so I was studying to become a great lawyer."

"How long after her death did you decide to change that and become a cop?"

"Not too long actually. When I saw the lack of progress they made and that they never even solved the case, just attributed it to gang violence, I decided I couldn't live with that. I signed up to the academy a few days later, vowing that no one else should ever have to live with the pain of not knowing what happened to a loved one. And, of course, bringing those responsible to justice." Alexis scribbled it all down, amazed by the depths of Kate's motivation.

"Feel free not to answer if you don't want to but, if you find out the truth about her murder what will you do."

"Good question. First off is bring those responsible to justice, but after that, I honestly don't know. It's been such a large part of my life for a very long time that I expect I'll feel lost without it to drive me. I'll be glad to have solved it and sent the murderer to justice, but that part will be over. I'll need to discover who I am without that shadow hanging over me. One thing I do know is that I want Castle by my side before, during and after I finally put the case to rest." Kate told her the truth because she wanted Alexis to know everything.

Alexis smiled at the last comment, knowing it was added for her benefit, but wrote that down too. "How has having my father around affected your work life?"

"I will be the first to admit that I was sceptical at first, but I have been pleasantly surprised since then because he's actually been instrumental in solving some of our cases. He has an ability to see past the mundane and find the answer that has eluded us." Kate chuckled. "Of course, not all his theories pan out, especially when the evidence points in a certain direction."

"So having him shadow you has been more a help than a hindrance?" Alexis wanted to clarify.

"Yes, it has turned out to be very helpful having him around." She told her confidently. Alexis wrote it all down, ready to work it into her paper in a short while.

"Thanks Kate, this will help enormously. You truly are a remarkable person." The young redhead added, not realising she sounded just like her father.

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**The latter part of this chapter just came out of nowhere. I needed to beef up my word count and this little scene between Kate and Alexis just popped into my head. One of my favourite things about Castle (besides Caskett) is the relationships between each of the characters and I wanted to see a little bit of those two ladies interacting, and what better way than an assignment!**

**Please R&R!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23 ****–**** Sunday Evening Part 2**

Castle heard the tail end of their conversation and was proud of both of them. He smiled at the fact that they had managed to bond and Kate had even opened up to his daughter, allowing her to ask very personal questions and put the answers into a report.

"Evening ladies." He announced, walking over to join them. "My ears were burning. Talking about me were you?"

"No dad." Alexis told him. "Not everything is about you." He acted wounded, playfully putting a hand over his heart, earning an eye roll from both women.

"Yeah Rick, there are more important things to discuss." Kate added, teasing him further whilst handing him a glass of wine. He took a sip, discovering it was one he didn't recognise, so it must have been the new one he bought last week. It was very good, with a rich full bodied flavour and fruity undertones. It would probably go well with red meat. "Hm, this is good."

"Yes, it is, where did you get it?" Kate asked, wanting to get some for herself.

"There's a small family owned wine store around the corner, and this was their recommended buy." Castle told her, taking another mouthful.

"Well, I think I've got everything I need. Thanks Kate, for all your help." Alexis got up, gathering her papers together.

"Any time Alexis." Kate smiled reassuringly. "You know where to find me." Alexis returned the smile and left, heading for her room, where she could write in privacy and silence.

Castle led Kate to the couch and they sat down. "So what were you helping her with?" Castle asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"A paper she's writing. Apparently I'm her role model and her paper asked for someone ordinary and not someone famous that everybody knows." Kate told him, still feeling a bit shocked at the admission.

"Well she's always admired you, Kate." Castle said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. He tucked her hair behind her ear and cupped her cheek. "And, honestly, I can see why. You're amazing, you're caring, you're thorough and you're not satisfied until the case is solved and murderer behind bars."

Kate leaned into his hand and closed her eyes, truly touched by the way he saw her. She smiled and took his hand, raising it to her lips and kissing it softly before placing them together on her thigh. "Is that really how you see me?"

"Yes." He said simply and succinctly. Nothing else needed to be said. Overwhelmed with emotion she lunged at him, capturing his lips in a scorching kiss. Pulling back to look in his eyes she saw the same things in his eyes that were definitely in hers.

"Take me to bed, Rick." She commanded, not wanting to wait a moment longer. As an answer he rose and offered her his hand. Taking it, she was pulled up against his chest and kissed thoroughly.

When he released her, he led her to the bedroom and shut the door. Stopping in the middle of the room he undressed her, taking care not to miss an inch as he caressed the newly revealed skin. Soon enough she was standing on front of him wearing nothing, and he nearly forgot to breathe. No matter how many times they did this, he would never get over the sight of her gloriously naked body laid out just for him.

After she got in the bed at his asking, he undressed himself, chucking his clothes down where they fell. Climbing in beside her he lay down so they were face to face, but not quite touching. Cupping her face in his hands he brought her close for a tender kiss, feeling an almost uncontrollable urge to love her. She wrapped her arm around his shoulder, playing with the hairs at the nape of his neck and keeping him close. He ran his hand down her side, urging her to place her leg around his waist.

Running his fingers through her folds he found her wet and ready for him. In one quick move he pushed her onto her back and entered her swiftly, drawing a throaty moan from her. She wrapped her other leg around his waist and urged him to move. Taking the hint he started thrusting, going slowly, to build the pleasure and extend the ecstasy. This was making love to Kate Beckett, which was something that he had wanted to do for years. Kissing her gently and staring into her eyes, he gradually increased his speed, bringing her to a gentle and rolling orgasm, making it last long after it should. Watching her in the throes of ecstasy was better than having his own. But he could feel his own approaching and wanted Kate to come again before he did, so he reached down between their bodies and found her clit. Changing the angle slightly he was able to stimulate her twice as well and she soon reached the peak again, this time taking him with her.

He collapsed beside her, spent and fully sated, ready to catch up on some much needed rest. Kate drew his arm around her waist and encouraged him to spoon her. She wanted to feel him all around her tonight, to keep the connection, even in sleep. He pulled her into the shelter of his arms, laying his hand on her belly and pillowing her head on his forearm. He ensured that not even an inch separated them as they drifted off to sleep.

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**Please R&R.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24 - Monday**

Kate and Rick awoke before the alarm the next morning in the exact position they fell asleep in. Both of them had slept for ten hours and felt refreshed and ready to go. Kate turned around to face him, taking in his sleep tousled hair and boyish grin, which she kissed right off his face.

"Morning." She said, brushing back his hair. "How did you sleep?"

"Like a log. You?"

"Same. I feel invigorated, like I could achieve anything today."

"And so you shall, for today we arrest our murderer." He replied, totally confident that they would find and capture their suspect and get a confession.

She studied him closely, seeing the confidence in his expression. "You really think so?" The alarm chose that moment to go off, shattering the early morning peace in the bedroom. "C'mon Castle, lets get to it then." She rose, pulling on his shirt from the night before and heading into the lounge where she had left her bag the night before. When she came back in, bag in hand, she found him sat against the head board with a smile on his face. "What?" She asked, returning the smile.

"Seeing you in my clothes makes me happy." He said, grinning wider.

"Yeah well, you could see me in less then that if you get out of bed in the next minute." She laughed as he leapt out of bed so fast you'd think it was on fire. Grabbing her around the waist he practically carried her into the adjoining bathroom. He turned the water on and impatiently waited for it to adjust. When it did he got in and held out a hand for her. Letting the shirt slip from her shoulders, she took the hand and followed him in. He pushed her up against the tiles and kissed her roughly, his erection prodding her thigh. Lifting her leg around his waist she welcomed him inside. Within a few thrusts they were very close and, with a well placed manoeuvre from Kate, came within seconds.

Lowering her leg to support herself, Kate held onto the wall to regain her balance. They washed each other quickly, not wanting to linger on this day. After they dried off and got dressed, Castle made them a simple breakfast of fruit and toast with the usual coffee. Arranging the fruit into a happy face he turned it to Kate, who smiled, before selecting one of the 'eyes'. Grabbing the toast, he put it and the toppings on the table and they settled down to eat. By the time Alexis joined them they had eaten all the food and were drinking the last of their coffee.

"Morning sweetheart. Did you get your paper finished?" Castle asked his daughter happily.

"Yes dad, I did. And why are you so chipper this morning?" She cringed as she thought about it. "No wait, don't answer that."

"If you must know, the reason I'm feeling so good is that we both good a good night's sleep and woke up feeling very refreshed and ready to face whatever the day brings." He kissed her on the top of her head as he passed. "Now we gotta run. I'll see you later okay?" Alexis nodded and headed for the cereal. Kate and Rick shrugged into their coats and left for the Precinct and what they hoped was a satisfying conclusion to the case.

When they reached the bullpen they were hustled straight back out. "Our suspect was seen entering a building on the East River early this morning and uniforms say she hasn't left." Espo told them as they hurried to their cars.

"Here's the address." Ryan handed them a post it note with an address a few blocks away from Rowena's apartment.

"She's after Rowena. Let's go." Beckett said, worried that they wouldn't reach her in time.

"Uni's say she's in the downstairs apartment and she's alone." Espo told them as he rejoined them.

"Right, you guys take the back, make sure she doesn't try to escape that way, Castle and I will take the front." The boys headed around the building to cover the back and Beckett instructed Castle to stay behind her. She knocked on the door, announcing herself as NYPD and commanded Aurora to open the door. Hearing no reply she radioed the boys, telling them to go. Kicking the doors in simultaneously, they proceeded to clear the rooms. The last room to check had the door closed, so she called out again, commanding her to give herself up, she was surrounded. Getting no response she tried the handle and found it unlocked. Pushing it open, Espo and Ryan rushed in, clearing the rest of the room then training their weapons on the suspect, who was sat quietly on the bed.

Checking with the guys that they had her, Beckett holstered her weapon and pulled out her cuffs.

"Stand up" When she did, Beckett cuffed her. "Elizabeth Rivers, you are under arrest for the murders of Christopher Danielson, Catherine Brown-Doyle and Amanda Webster." Then she read her her Miranda rights, clearly, wanting there to be no technicalities she could use to wiggle her way free. Aurora came quietly, not saying a word.

Getting her to the Precinct was a quiet, reflective ride. Nobody said a word the entire journey, not even Castle. When they arrived they processed her and took her to interrogation, where they left her for a little while so Kate could prep herself. They stood in observation, watching Aurora as she sat, stock still, and didn't move. She looked confident and relaxed. "So this is her?" Gates asked, staring hard at the woman.

"Yes sir. The case is mostly circumstantial though. There are no prints or DNA to link her to the crime scenes." Beckett informed her.

"Then get a confession. I want this case over." The captain commanded then walked out without waiting for a reply.

"How will you get her to crack?" Castle asked, feeling a little less confident as he looked at the woman through the window. "She looks like she knows she can get away with it."

"I'll find a way, Castle. Don't you worry." She turned on her heel and walked out, gathering her files and heading towards interrogation. "You coming?" He hurried out to join her and they headed in.

"Ms Rivers, I'm Detective Beckett and this is Mr Castle. You've been informed of your rights?"

"Yes." Was all she said.

"We have evidence that links you to three murders that occurred this week." Beckett took out the photo's and lined them up as she said their names. "Why did you kill them?"

"What makes you think it was me?" Elizabeth answered confidently.

"Your van, which we recovered late last night from a parking lot in Queens, contains traces of Mr Danielson's DNA. You own a herbalist shop and have the know how to produce the drug used to cause their deaths. We have witnesses who can place you with or near all three victims. Shall I go on?"

"That's all circumstantial Detective, and you know it." Came the calm reply.

"Alright, I'll tell you a story, tell me if it sounds familiar. A woman was in love with a man, who didn't feel the same. So this woman found a recipe for a 'love drug'. She gave it to the young man, and waited for him to fall in love with her. But something went wrong, and he rejected her. So she killed him. She just forgot one important point. You can't make someone fall in love with you. You can only improve on what's already there." That got a reaction, the woman paled. "I see you didn't know that."

"I loved him, deeply, and he chose that tart over me. He deserved to die what he did. If I couldn't have him, then no one else could, especially not her."

"But that wasn't enough, was it Elizabeth?" Beckett continued, trying to coax the rest out. "The girl was still out there."

"Yes, I couldn't stand the thought of her stealing anyone else from me again. So I killed the competition."

"And what about Amanda?" Kate pushed, wanting her to confess to all three.

"Who?" She asked, confused.

"The woman who introduced them, Amanda Webster."

Kate saw the recognition in her eyes. "Oh her. Well she played matchmaker. I couldn't let that go unpunished. If it wasn't for her those two would never have met and Chris would have been mine."

She gasped and fell forward, catching herself at the last minute to stop from hitting the table. Raising her head she looked up confused, like she didn't know where she was. "Oh Jez, what have you done to me?" She whispered and closed her eyes. Castle and Beckett looked at each other completely confused by the woman's behaviour.

Elizabeth searched her mind for the answers and found them, deep in her subconscious. Bringing them forward she replayed the entire scene that had just occurred. Jez had confessed to all three murders using her body, in front of a police detective. She sighed, realising she was beaten and opened her eyes, to find the pair of them staring at her, confusion evident on their faces.

"Yes, Detective. I killed Chris, Catherine and Amanda." She confessed, knowing that Jez would command her to if she tried to deny it.

"How did you kill them?" Beckett asked, wanting as much information for the DA as possible.

"I know magic. There are spells and potions out there that can cause a human to die and leave no trace. So once Chris rejected me I knew he had to die. I cast a spell on a few vials of the 'love drug' and offered him one, saying it would increase his sexual stamina. He fell asleep in my van, so I drove him to Midtown and waited. He stopped breathing around three, but I waited a little longer to make sure he was dead. Then I pushed him out of the van and left." She stopped to take a breath. "Catherine was easy. She didn't know Chris was dead yet, so I offered her some of the spelled drug, telling her it would make her more alluring to him. She passed out in the park as she was walking back from our meet, and I left her to die."

"And Amanda?" Kate asked, knowing this was the vital one.

"Hers was different. I wanted her to really suffer, so I added a little cyanide to the mix. She thought I was giving her some home-made vitamins. It didn't take long for her to die."

"And what about us?"

"I knew all about the famous writer and his muse, the New York Detective Kate Beckett, and I knew you'd get the case. So I cast a spell, combining your dreams, hoping to unsettle you. When that didn't seem to work, I made a fresh batch of the drug and cast a spell on that, doubling it's potency, and spread it over the table. I lay in wait until you both went in there and made you both sneeze, and inhale the drug as a result. I was trying to make you two so crazy in lust that you would end up in bed and not be able to solve the case. But that backfired too."

"Yes well. You consistently underestimated the people you bespelled." Castle piped up, wanting to get his say in. "Detective Beckett is one of the best cops I know, and her drive to get to the truth cannot be swayed in any way."

Kate gave him a small smile before asking the last question. "You say you cast a spell on our dreams and the drug. Do you know when the effects will wear off?"

"It's supposed to last less than a week. All the test's I ran on the drug showed it wore off after five days. And the spell will wear off at the same time. They were designed to sidetrack you so I could get away. It was all for nothing in the end. I still got caught, thanks to my belief that Jez would protect me." She said the last bit quietly, so Beckett and Castle had to strain to hear it.

"Thank you. Now I want you to write that all down for me and sign it at the bottom." Kate handed her a pad and a pen so she could write her confession for them. She looked at Castle whilst they waited and found him staring at her. She could see the relief in his eyes. The drug and spells would wear off tonight and tomorrow they would be back to normal, no more effects from either to side track them any further.

Ten minutes later Elizabeth signed the confession and put down the pen, sliding it over to the detective. Beckett skimmed over it, making sure she hadn't missed anything she'd told them. Satisfied with it she signalled to the uniforms to take her downstairs and lock her up. Tucking the page away Kate stood, stretching her legs when Captain Gates appeared at the door.

"You got a confession I see." She made it a statement, knowing Beckett's track record.

"Yes sir. She confessed to all three and will be going away for a very long time."

"Good. Finish up the paperwork and take tomorrow off. I get the feeling there's a lot you two need to talk about." With that parting sentence, she turned and headed for her office, leaving Castle and Beckett staring after her in shock.

"She was listening. She knows we've been sleeping together." Kate breathed.

"And if she knows then the boys definitely do too." Castle added, earning a glare from her, which turned into a gasp when she realised that Lanie would hear it from them and then she would get an earful from her best friend.

They hurried to her desk to get the rest of the paperwork filled out and the charges filed, hoping to get away before the boys and Lanie jumped all over them.

They weren't so lucky. Ryan and Esposito finished with theirs and wandered over to Beckett's desk.

"We just want you to know that whatever happens between you too, we have your backs." Espo told them. Ryan nodded his agreement before they headed towards the elevator and home.

"Wow, that was unexpected. I really thought we'd get razzed about it." Castle commented, slowly, watching them depart.

Kate nodded and was about to reply when her phone rang. Looking at the screen she saw it was Lanie. She looked up, scared, at Castle, who encouraged her to get it over with. "Beckett."

"Don't you 'Beckett' me young lady. I hear you and a certain writer-boy have been getting it on lately." Lanie sassed down the line. Kate looked apologetically at Castle, knowing she'd have to talk to Lanie sooner rather than later to deal with the fall out.

"Lanie, can we talk later? When I've finished the paperwork for this case."

"You'd better girl. I'll be outside your door at seven, so you better be there. I want details." Lanie demanded then hung up the phone, not waiting for a reply. Kate put down the phone, ready to apologise to Castle.

"It's okay, Kate. You should talk to her, soothe her ruffled feathers. We can have breakfast in the morning at Remy's and finally talk about things, drug free." He squeezed her hand before getting up and making his way home.

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**There's the conclusion to the case. There's one chapter left. What do you think?**


	25. Epilogue

**Here we are, the final chapter. It's only a short one I'm afraid.**

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**Epilogue ****–**** Tuesday Morning**

Castle was nervous as he hurried to Remy's to meet Kate. Now that the effects were over he wasn't sure of her reaction. He didn't even know if she'd be there this morning. Walking through the door he greeted the staff whilst looking for her. "If you're looking for Kate, she's round the corner in the back booth." The head waitress called from across the cafe. He thanked her and made his way through the sea of cops enjoying a late breakfast. He found her nursing a cup of coffee right where Janine said she'd be.

He sat down, and a coffee was immediately placed in front of him. "When you're ready to order just shout." Janine said, before rushing off to clear some recently vacated tables. He added cream and sugar and stirred it, delaying the inevitable conversation.

"How did it go with Lanie last night?" He figured he'd play it safe, she how responsive she was.

"Fine, we talked for hours and she helped me recognise what I've been hiding from all this time." She sat forward and touched his hands to bring his eyes to hers. "This case was hard, both emotionally and mentally. It opened my eyes to the feelings I've been denying for a long time. After the shooting I didn't want a partner. I just wanted to crawl inside myself and be alone. But you wormed your way back in. This case made me realise that anything can happen. That someone can come along and steal your life without even knowing about them." She paused for a moment.

Castle was riveted, he didn't dare hope to believe she was saying what he thought she was. She held his breath as she continued. "Last night Lanie made me realise that life is too short to waste on regrets. I don't want to wait until I'm completely healed to move on with my life. I want to do it with someone I trust, someone I can count on. Someone who puts up with me even when I'm being incredibly stubborn." She raised a hand to his face and cupped his cheek. "I just want you."

Castle fought to control his desire to jump up out of the chair and grab her up into his arms, but with a dozen cops around he didn't want to embarrass her. "Kate," He placed his hand over hers. "You have no idea how long I've waited to hear you say those words." He kissed her fingers, reluctant to release her hand. "I love you."

"I know." She ducked her head, ashamed. "I heard you that day, Rick. I heard you tell me you loved me. But I wasn't ready to hear it then." She met his eyes shyly, unsure of how he would take that.

He smiled at her, glad to know it wasn't in vain, that she knew how he felt and had accepted it. "It's okay Kate. It was a pretty stressful situation, with the funeral and the shooting. I couldn't let you die without knowing how I felt."

She gave him a loving smile. "Well now you don't have to. I have no intention of going anywhere in a very long time. If you're willing, I'd like to give a relationship with you a try. I'm not saying it'll be easy." She warned, wanting him to understand. "I still have a lot of issues to work through and I may not always want to be around, but I want to try."

"I know it won't be easy, the best things in life rarely are, but I've waited a long time for you and I won't be dissuaded. I love you." He repeated. "And I plan to spend the rest of my days showing you just how much."

They sat there smiling at each other for a while, oblivious to the world around them, or the fact that they were being gawked at by cops and bystanders alike. They enjoyed an early lunch together before heading back to Castle's to spend the rest of the day in each others arms, content in the knowledge that it was all real and right in their world.

Well, for the time being at least.

**The End**

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**There we have it, my first fanfiction is finished. There is the possibility of a sequel, but I haven't really thought about it yet. **

**This one was difficult to start, but once I got going, new ideas jumped out at me and it became easier to write and visualise.**

** Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read this and review it. It makes me happy to read the positive reviews you've posted. **


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